Grapevine New Music Picks: Xiupill, Sóðaskapur & More

We celebrate this Friday with a brand new issue of The Reykjavík Grapevine and surprisingly warm weather. Who needs Tenerife?! We have a fresh batch of songs released this week. As spring rolls in, we can expect even more new voices entering the scene with the annual battle of the bands, Músíktilraunir, held at the end of March. If you make music, you can still apply. Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up on a new music Friday list in the future.

Xiupill – New Religion
Out March 2

Xiupill manages to make you feel like you’re missing out on the best party of your life. Channeling a level of deep-cool, Xiupill release their new track through Spectral Assault Records. The label has made strides in releasing underground music in Iceland, reminiscent of fellow underground artists post-dreifing. Conveying Death Grips vibes mixed in with the hyperpop mentality of 100gecs, “New Religion” is a certified club banger. The music video further drives in the industrial element of the song, featuring the band members miming in front of factories and forklifts. JB

Sóðaskapur – Mamma ver
Out March 3

This Riot Grrrl track was recently chosen as the best new song in radio station X977’s Sykurmolinn competition. Sóðaskapur participated in Músíktilraunir 2022 and have made a loud entrance to the Reyjavík scene. Bursting with energy and anticipation, the song expresses a deep anger towards global injustice. “Mamma Ver” is a fantastic Friday track — the perfect pick-me-up for the weekend. JB

Viktor – Myrkvi
Out March 3

As Viktor Orri Árnason reminds us, it’s bandcamp Friday today. That’s why the singer is unpacking his latest album. He says that it is more than a collection of music — it is a reflection of a musical past that has been overlooked and suppressed and by embracing and acknowledging this past as part of their journey, he has created a work that embodies a shadow of their current creations. Because Viktor does not integrate vocals into his songs, they let you sink, as it were, into the deep feelings of the past he writes about. GVDM

Drengurinn fengurinn – Við erum vont fólk. Ég er vondur maður.
Out March 3

Egill Jónasson, also known as Drengurinn fengurinn, might be the most productive artist of the year. After releasing two albums in February, including one devoted to a quirky Polish neighbourhood supermarket Żabka, Drengurinn fengurinn has just dropped a new EP. Við erum vont fólk. Ég er vondur maður. translates to English as “We are bad people. I am a bad man.” God bless the synths, and no, you’re not a bad man. We’d choose Żabka over Bonus any day. IZ