Track By Track: ‘Cold Wind’ By Fjara

‘Cold Wind’ is the debut EP from four-piece instrumental band Fjara. In this edition of Track By Track, guitarist—and past Grapevine contributing photographer—Matthew Eisman discusses the stories behind the sounds.

Cold Wind

It was our second time playing all together and the first song we wrote. We were crammed in our original practice space which was a shed on a golf course in Mosfellsbær. It was a late summer night, the wind was howling and the amps were cranked. Our other guitarist, Gunni, brought in this riff then everyone added their own style to it and everything clicked. It was rough, but electric. I was buzzing and felt that we were onto something good.

Interruption

This song taught me to never write off an idea before the rest of the band hears it. I had this riff kicking around for a while, but honestly didn’t think much of it. It was much slower too. Our drummer, Sölvi, suggested we speed it up and it changed entirely for the better. It’s got a feel-good, summery vibe now that makes your head bop.

Take Me Home

Some songs kind of just write themselves. Your fingers fall into the right place and it flows out. This one happened like that. It’s about missing home, your family and friends and being a bit lost. I was really going through it when I moved back to Iceland. Yet it’s still got a happy/sad quality to it that I like in songs.

Fjara is currently recording a full length album and looking forward to playing live shows when the COVID-19 restrictions ease up. Check out Fjara on Spotify, Instagram, and Facebook.