Words by

Irina Shtreis

Photo by

Joana Fontinha

Go With The Flow

In April 2020, Icelandic independent mavericks Oyama released their EP Opaque Days — a title that accidentally outlined the themes of the subsequent pandemic and the band’s hiatus.

In the respite between lockdowns, Oyama’s songwriters Úlfur Alexander Einarsson and Júlía Hermannsdóttir gathered to record a few songs which would eventually take the shape of Everyone Left, a reflective album released October 18.

Tinged with an underwater feel and unexplainable poignancy, the record represents a shift from their angsty 2014 debut Coolboy. Now in their thirties, Úlfur and Júlía describe Oyama’s latest release as a record that resulted from a state of maturity and contemplation.

Mature sincerity

“I feel like we’ve grown as lyricists,” Úlfur explains. “Our lyrics used to be more vague. I think we’ve always been a melancholic band. But I tried to sound more ambiguous in my lyrics and I do that less now. I feel like I’m more on point. It’s the same melancholy but more understandable,” he states.

“I like keeping a level of ambiguity because I like when people have interpretations of lyrics that are different from the intention that I put in them,” Júlía explains. “At the same time, there is a sincerity that comes with maturity. When you’re younger it feels more embarrassing or cringe to be sincere. But now I just don’t care.”

A similar ambiguity surrounds the title of Everyone Left, with its meaning simultaneously suggesting glass-half-full and glass-half-empty perspectives. The title’s duality implies those who are present and those who are not. “It’s from the lyrics of ‘Cigarettes’ [the album’s second track],” Júlia elaborates. “In that specific context, the singer doesn’t want to confess to another person until everyone leaves the party. Instead of being to the point with one another, they just hang around until they’re on their own. So, they are everyone who is left while all others have left the party,” Júlía explains.

Shoegaze transformations

Everyone Left captures Oyama transitioning from lush distortion-driven sound towards a more transparent, watercolour-like texture. Although they don’t shy away from shoegaze, the band cannot deny their sonic transformation.

“We love shoegaze and we started as a 100% shoegaze band,” Úlfur says. “Our first EP I Wanna is just noisy guitars from A to Z. But then we evolved a bit and started turning off the distortion and fuzz, and building some dynamics and some soundscapes in our songs.”

“I wouldn’t classify us as bonafide shoegaze anymore,” Úlfur continues, “I feel like we are more of an indie band with a flavour of shoegaze.”

In addition to the band’s musical shift, they have also taken a different approach to recording, with the perfectionism of Coolboy giving way to spontaneity. “The new album sounds more like us during practice than before,” says Úlfur. Some songs, particularly those without drums — “Howl at the Moon” and “Through The Water” — were built from older demos and recorded by Úlfur and Júlía at Studio Harmur, the band’s rehearsal space.

Another couple of compositions were finished in the studio. “For ‘Sundried,’ we were still working on a verse when we went to record it,” says Úlfur. “This would have stressed me out 10 years ago. Back then, it was crucial that we go to the studio with a final melody. This time, we were confident enough to go with the flow,” he admits.

Holding out for a hero

The go-with-the-flow dynamics are augmented by Oyama’s longtime guitarist Kári Einarsson as well as new members Jón Þorsteinsson and Ragnar Jón Hrólfsson on bass and drums, respectively. Making guest appearances on every track is kimono’s Alison McNeil, who takes Oyama to a new territory.

Everyone Left also marks the point at which a reciprocal fandom comes full circle. “I have been a huge kimono fan since I was a teenager,” shares Júlia. “I would go to all their shows. After I started playing with Oyama, Alison came up to me and said she was a big fan of the band.”

During another conversation years later, Alison suggested she could play guitar on Oyama’s next record. Her presence brings artistic firmness and emotive undertones, especially on the closing track “The Light.”

Just like Alison’s band, Oyama’s name makes references to Japan. “Yama means mountain in Japanese, and if you put an O, it can be an honorific way to address a mountain,” explains Júlia. “It also means a male actor who plays women in kabuki theatre, there is a city and a martial artist with this name too [Zainachi Korean karate master Mas Oyama].”

This multitude of meanings resonates with the songwriting and production principle that has guided both Úlfur and Júlía over the years.

“To me, shoegaze is a driven band with loud drums but flowing vocals all over it. I’ve always loved that harmony. I’ve always liked this combination of energies, relaxed and flowing vocals versus driven guitars and drums,” Úlfur explains. “You can call it shoegaze or not, but this formula is always at the back of my mind when I write Oyama songs.”

Oyama will perform at Iðnó on November 7 during Iceland Airwaves. Listen to Everyone Left on available streaming platforms and look out for the vinyl release via Reykjavík Record Shop next December.

Get in the festival spirit or take a stroll down memory lane. Follow along with the Grapevine’s Iceland Airwaves coverage.