Music News: CYBER, Of Monsters & Men, Björk

The all-chick, all-crap, highly creative, fuck-you-that’s-who, rap group Cyber just dropped their first album ‘HORROR’ this month. It’s a rough and reckless debut featuring some of Iceland’s most noteworthy rappers, and the mysterious band Hatari. They are so much cooler than you. Also, go check out the video for ‘PSYCHO’ feat. Countess Malaise. They get beat up by drag queens.

Of Monsters and Men recently announced that they’re the first Icelandic band to pass one billion plays on Spotify. The band has 4.4 million monthly listeners on the streaming service, leaving many other notable Icelandic artists in the dust. By comparison, other major Icelandic acts had the following monthly listeners: Björk, 1.5 million; Ásgeir, 1.3 million; Sigur Rós, 909,000; Gísli Pálmi, 16,000. In fact, the only Icelandic act that edges out OMAM for most monthly listeners are country-rockers Kaleo, who blare through the headphones and stereos of 4.6 million people each month. OMAM are working on their next album, so we’ll tell you when they break the 2 billion mark.

A wave of women speaking out about sexual harassment and abuse tore over social media this month via the #MeToo hashtag. Björk took part, issuing a Facebook statement about mistreatment she suffered whilst filming with an unnamed Danish film director, widely thought to be Lars Von Trier. Von Trier issued a denial to Danish media, and Björk issued a clarifying post detailing specific incidences of persistent sexual advances, unwanted physical contact, and threatening behaviour, saying: “It feels extremely difficult to come out with something of this nature into the public… but I feel it is the right time, especially now when it could make a change.”