The Rock Renaissance

Rock in Iceland has been overshadowed by some of the great things happening in the indie, hip-hop, metal and pop genres over the last decade, but there appears to be a rock renaissance in Reykjavík at the moment. It’s dirty, it’s loud, it’s provocative, and it’s fantastic. Among the heralds of this change are Muck and Pink Street Boys. They’ve been kicking ass and taking names, each releasing great albums in the past quarter. You can read our feature on the two bands below, as well as an interview with the drummers of the bands.

Hardcore Band Muck Is Unrelenting And Uncompromising
Karl takes a bite out of his hot dog and laughs at Indriði for bringing vegetables to a barbeque. Loftur frets over there not being enough sauces and procures a beer from somewhere, while Ási and I work out the correct exchange rate between my hot dogs and his hamburgers. It’s a relaxed autumn afternoon in Hljómskálagarður park, and I’m sitting with the four members of Muck, a hardcore punk band I have ardently followed for the past two years.

Pink Street Boys Are Dangerous, Loud, Irreverent
During a break between songs, a friend shouts into my ear, “They are too loud!” I try to respond, but my words are lost to Pink Street Boys’ onslaught of guitars, pedals, unintelligible vocals and loud drums. At a time when cultural export is the name of the game, with local bands cashing in on the world’s interest in the dreamy and cute Icelandic sound, Pink Street Boys are unruly, crass, full of attitude, unapologetic, and as my friend previously mentioned, loud.

Drummer Vs. Drummer, Muck Vs. Pink Street Boys
When interviewing Muck and Pink Street Boys, we kept thinking, “It would be really interesting to hear the other band’s thoughts on this.” So, rather than engage in lengthy back-and-forths, we invited drummers Ási Þórðarson and Einar Björn Þórarinsson to just hash it out over a pack of beers.