It’s (almost) the end of the year! And what better way to celebrate than by asking a bunch of artists to share some of their favourite tracks from 2024? This week’s roundup features all the releases that stood out to local musicians this year, weighing in on what they thought was truly remarkable.
For the full list, check out this playlist, compiled by our pals over at Iceland Music.
Atli Sigþórsson (Kött Grá Pjé)
Supplied by Kött Grá Pjé
“I don’t follow music all that closely and often find it depressing,” says Kött Grá Pjé, taking stock of the year. “Keeping tabs of the overall quality of music from year to year is some sort of an accounting project that I get anxious just thinking about. But this year, a lot of stuff came out that I find beautiful and nice, completely without context or comparison.”
Iðunn Einars — ”Svefnlausar nætur”
Saint Pete — ”Kronik shit”
Benni Hemm Hemm & Kórinn — ”Frí”
ADHD — ”Hauswerk”
Bára Gísladóttir & Sinfó — “COR”
Bjarni Daníel (Supersport!)
Art Bicnick/The Reykjavík Grapevine
“Frustration and grief for the concert spaces we keep losing took up much space this year, but what feels more notable is the hope for what can emerge from this vacuum,” says frontman of Supersport! Bjarni Daníel. “The new grassroots stuff has rarely felt this exciting, this good.”
Masaya Ozaki, Lindy Lin — “Siskin”
K.óla — “How much would it change”
SiGRÚN — “Catching Up”
Einakróna — “Stella”
Spacestation — “Í draumalandinu”
Björgúlfur Jes Einarsson (Spacestation)
Joana Fontinha/The Reykjavík Grapevine
“I find it really hard to keep up with the Icelandic music scene,” says singer of rock ‘n’ roll revivalists Spacestation Björgúlfur Jes Einarsson. “Or just music in general, when I’m busy writing and finishing an album with my own band. Still, a few absolutely fantastic albums came out this year. Young Nazareth released ‘Bara vera’ around the same time we in Spacestation released ‘Í Draumalandinu’, our ‘summer hit.’ The first thing I thought when I listened to Nazareth’s track was, ‘Okay… he won.’”
Young Nazareth — ”Bara Vera”
Supersport! — ”Fingurkoss”
Iðunn Einars — ”Sameinast”
XiuPill ft. Joey Christ — ”We outside II”
Amor Vincit Omnia — ”Eina”
Guðrún Ýr Eyfjörð (GDRN)
Joana Fontinha/The Reykjavík Grapevine
Pop superstar GDRN has kept busy this year, having released two albums in 2024 — RnB-infused Frá mér til þín and the recent holiday album Nokkur jólaleg jöl. In addition to her fruitful output, GDRN has kept tabs on the ins and outs of Icelandic music.
Lúpína — “hættað væla”
Árný Margrét — “I Miss You, I Do”
ÁSDÍS — “Flashback”
Bríet — “Takk fyrir allt”
Una Torfa — “Yfir strikið”
Sykur — “Pláneta Y”
Kristín Björk Kristjánsdóttir (Kira Kira)
Art Bicnick/The Reykjavík Grapevine
Musician and filmmaker Kira Kira found joy in these tracks:
Supersport —”Ég elska alla vini mína”
“Such a fun, loving force in this band. We need more of these kinds of messengers of good vibrations on the waves.”
Bang Gang ft. Dísa — “Stay Open, Heaven Knows”
“A beautiful collaboration. Dísa’s pristine voice and her presence is good. The song’s atmosphere is so soft and true, somehow.”
SiGRÚN — ”Of mjúk til að molna”
“Strong stuff from Sigrún. Great lyrics.”
Kónguló & Rakel — ”Don’t Give Up on Me”
“What a soul. Vulnerable bravery in the vocals. I can appreciate the sincerity. The message spoke to me.”
BSÍ — “Lily (Hot Dog)”
“A generous bomb of fun. Silla is one of my favourite singers.”
Nína Solveig Andersen (Lúpína)
Joana Fontinha/The Reykjavík Grapevine
“The Icelandic music year in 2024 has been diverse as usual,” says Norway-based, Icelandic pop artist Lúpína. “I listened a lot to Una Torfa’s new album — even had her on my Wrapped. I also listened to some old favourites like K.óla, Laufey, JóiPé and Króli, and discovered new artists like Amor Vincit Omnia.”
Una Torfa — ”Engin Spurning”
JóiPé, Króli, USSEL — ”Sigra Nóttina”
Laufey — “Goddess”
Amor Vincit Omnia — ”Do You”
K.óla — ”Ekki í nótt”
Masaya Ozaki
Joana Fontinha/The Reykjavík Grapevine
“2024 was truly a remarkable year for the Icelandic music scene,” remarks Japanese-born, Reykjavík-based Masaya Ozaki. “The artists I listed are my close, exceptionally talented friends. Coming from outside this scene, I find it incredibly inspiring. For me, it feels like a fun playground for exploring new expressions and collaborations.”
K.óla — “I might be”
Masaya Ozaki, Eyrún Úa — “Opið Rými”
MC Myasnoi — “XcomputerXmustXdie”
sideproject, John McCowen — ”peephole”
Stirnir — “Tvö Facebook”
Róshildur
Axel Sigurðarson for The Reykjavík Grapevine
Winner of the Reykjavík Grapevine Music Award’s ‘You Should Have Heard This’ Róshildur found new favourites this year.
Iðunn Einars — “Ef ég dey á morgun”
“The piano intro starts and I’m already tearing up. Iðunn’s voice is supernatural and to me, this song is a tragicomical analysis on the meaning and meaningless of life. Huge and extremely volatile at the same time, with necessary humorous jabs in its subtext.”
CYBER ft. tatjana — “I don’t wanna walk this earth”
“This song includes some philosophical contemplation, even better beats and my inner teenager wants to shout along: “Put me in a little grave, I don’t wanna take up space!”
K.óla — “Vinátta okkar er blóm”
“The way the saxophone and the vocals follow each other tickles my brain. Then, I’m always attracted by Icelandic lyrics which tell a good story, which this most certainly does.”
Amor Vincit Omnia — “100.000 km/klst”
“New band alert! They released the EP brb babe and I have a hard time choosing between its tracks. With a lot of hesitation I’m picking “100.000 km/klst” because of the bubbles that travel around my ears on minute 2:35.
Róshildur — “Öndunaræfingar”
“Can I advertise myself? Because Róshildur released this banger in the year. All kinds of samples from here and there, ironic lyrics, heavy bass and drums by Halldór Eldjárn.”
Sunna Margrét
Margrét Gyða/Supplied
“Love the endless musical fountain that is pouring out of this crazy island and ever so grateful to be a part of it!” exclaims Sunna Margrét, who celebrates a recent KEXP performance and an upcoming SXSW show.
BSÍ — “Lily (Hot Dog)”
“On repeat in my house, and I sometimes play the bass to it. Silla’s lyrics also make me hurt and love.”
Kira Kira — “Blíða, staðfasta afl”
“The first song on Kira Kira’s album Unaðsdalur transports me sonically to somewhere I wish to be physically, maybe it’s the birds… But it’s the whole composition. Beautiful start to a record.”
Spacestation — “Í Draumalandinu”
“I caught the tail end of their concert at 12 Tónar finally, I’ve been a fan since I heard ‘Hvítt Vín’ on Óli Dóri’s radio show.”
Symfaux — “good times for slim picking”
“This is a new find for me, heard it first on Ólátagarður [radio show].”
MC MYASNOI — “nytrogen (live r6013)”
“Also a new find, sent to me by a friend (who also just put out a new release with his band Osmē). I’ve yet to see MC MYASNOI live!”
Torfi
Kaja Sigvalda/Supplied
“I’ve noticed this year that artists have been disrupting expectations of themselves and their respective genres,” states newcomer Torfi, whose debut LP EITT was on frequent rotation in the Grapevine office.
“The pop stars are venturing a bit more into more experimental territories; the indie artists are writing catchier choruses; and the hip-hop artists are becoming more sentimental! Hopefully this development will just continue in 2025. Genres are really just sets of expectations, and for me as a listener, the most exciting songs are the unexpected ones!”
Katla Yamagata — ”Ókunnuga ástin mín”
“I think Katla Yamagata is one of the most interesting artists to debut this year and ‘Ókunnuga ástin mín’ from her EP Postulín is an absolute favorite of mine. Lyrically, she goes back and forth from hyper-specificity and hyper-abstraction all the time, making the narrative illusive and exciting. The dynamics and expressiveness of her vocals only make this more exciting. She holds so much power in her music and I love that!”
Frumburður — “Þúsund nætur (Live)”
“‘Þúsund nætur (Live)’ Is a beautifully intimate and sensual ballad. Backed up by an incredibly tight live band, Frumburður’s vocals are extremely charming and somehow nostalgic. It’s simple, heartwarming and perfectly captures a feeling of contemptment, where you feel that you have nowhere else to be and nothing else to do!”
Róshildur ft. Halldór Eldjárn — “Öndunaræfingar”
“Another favourite of mine this year.. This ballad is full of dreamy, electronic soundscapes that complement her intimate, Vespertine-era Björk-esque vocals perfectly. The lyrics are proselike at times, highlighting her intricate storytelling. In this song, as well as in her EP (v.2,2) released last year, Róshildur has a way of combining assurance with fragility in the most beautiful way.”
Torfi — “MÁNAÐAMÓT”
“At the risk of sounding vain, one of my favorite songs this year is one of my own. ‘MÁNAÐAMÓT’ is a bitch track, inspired by and written for queer nightlife. In my opinion, Iceland does not have enough bangers for the girls, the gays and the theys. This is my contribution to that shortage.”
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