Grapevine New Music: Daði Freyr, Króli, Salóme Katrín & More

Holy smokes, summer’s here! We’ve reached the time where selfies taken from rooftop bars and balconies start to fill our collective social media feeds. Start preparing for burnt faces proliferating onto the Reykjavík sidewalks, occupying every single square metre of available sunlight, filled with a manic, sunbeaten glint in their eyes. It’s summer babyyyyy. For an apt soundtrack to the Icelandic summer and all its adventures, check out our Spotify playlist.

Emma — Stranger Now
Released April 16

Having built up quite a buzz in select circles, electronic-folk outfit Emma shared their debut single “Stranger Now” earlier this April. Starting off solemnly, this track slowly picks up the pace over the course of its six-minute run time. If Bon Iver comes to your mind, you wouldn’t be far off, as Emma crafts an intense, yet wispy song which is over too soon. JB

Daði Freyr — I Don’t Wanna Talk
Released April 16

Daði Freyr captured our hearts and minds when he and his troupe of data-obsessed space inqiusitors were robbed from the Eurovision title in 2020. That’s water under the bridge now, and Daði put his mind towards the future a long time ago. “I Don’t Wanna Talk” sees Daði continue his idiosyncratic foray into dance music, now with a modest haircut and a move to Iceland. JB

Salóme Katrín & Bjarni Daníel — Always and forever
Released April 16

Salóme Katrín is the kind of artist whose personality manages to swoop everyone off their feet. A respected and established artists, she is yet to release a full LP — perhaps the only drawback of being a Salóme Katrín fan. “Always and forever” is a song that’s featured in her live sets dating back a few years. Pristinely sung with her charismatic attitude, “Always and forever” features a big chorus — seemingly growing with repetition — laid over a stripped back arrangement of guitar and synthetic sorcery. JB

Króli — Skemmtilagt til frambúðar
Released April 17

Since rising to the charts with the hit single “B.O.B.A.” along with his chronic partner-in-crime JóiPé, Króli has focused much of his efforts on breaking into the acting game with considerable success. Kicking off a revamped solo career, Króli featured on hip-hop artist Emmsjé Gauti’s latest track “10 ÞÚSUND”. Króli’s latest EP, however, is in stark contrast to his energetic rap persona, swapping swagger for heartfelt candor and piano–heavy ballads — even featuring a song dedicated to his mother. How sweet? JB

Straff — Alltof mikið, stundum
Released April 25

Even though his main project Spacestation has only just recently taken off the ground with their debut album, singer Björgúlfur Jes makes time for his solo path as Straff. Much akin to his band, Straff’s debut single is an amalgamation of rock-adjacent genres, leaning into post-punk-style bass lines and his usual, stream-of-consciousness lyrical delivery. “Alltof mikið, stundum” features the thought-provoking and poignant refrain: “You don’t wanna end up alone out on sea, sucking fish.” Now, when I think about it, I guess that’s not an optimal position to be in. JB