Track By Track: ‘Ekki Treysta Fiskunum’ By Ólafur Kram

Ólafur Kram consider their latest album release ‘Ekki treysta fiskunum’ to be a culmination of everything that followed their win at the 2021 Músíktilraunir (“Icelandic Music Experiments”). After many hours of work recording at Sundlaugin studio, the result is a fresh, yet weird sound. We asked Ólafur Kram to guide us through the album, whose name implores us to ‘never trust the fish.’ Fun fact: try reading the band’s name backwards!

Hótun

This song was written for mansplainers. It’s a short song with upbeat rhythms and a fun melody, but the lyrics are meant to make you feel uncomfortable. Starting the album with the line: “What bug bit you in the head” is a great way to emphasise our surreal, tongue-in-cheek writing style. The song is inspired by bossanova, perhaps a little akin to elevator music—but with an Ólafur Kram twist.

Aumingja Þuríður

A song about partying too much, being too hungover, and then doing it all again the next weekend. We allow ourselves to make fun of poor Þuríður, because we have all been her at some point.

Blúndustelpa

This is a weird but good one. The lyrics are about clothes—how clothes act as a sort of armour for us and how we use fashion to divert attention from our weaknesses to our strengths. Gothic, but in 5/4—how could you not love this song?

Gullinsnið

Quintessential Ólafur Kram. We let ourselves go wild, and it ended in a baroque-rap-rock song about a guy who has daddy issues and very low self-esteem but pretends to be really cool and confident. Make sure to listen until the end—you’re in for a treat.

Kóngur á þurru landi

A surreal song about the city sinking into the sea, the fish taking over, and dreaming. The title of the album (‘Don’t trust the fish’) comes from this song.

Silkiþræðir

Silkiþræðir is one of our cooler songs. The ambiguity of the lyrics, which portray communication issues and mind-reading troubles, contrasts the constant rhythm of the song, constant but building.

Listasaga

Am I in love, or just horny? The eternal question.

Höllin

An instrumental ode to the one and only höll—Sundhöll Reykjavíkur.

Drottningin

This song is an homage to all the queens in our lives, to the women artists and musicians that have influenced us through the years, Barbra Streisand especially.

Prinsessaaa

A song dedicated to Iðunn Gígja‘s little dog, Rjómi. And also to our first drummer, Alda—whose name is embedded in the lyrics for the second part of the song. We wanted to do a song that was almost like two songs together—and we think we did very well on that.

Eftirsöngur

A song about finding the people we miss in all the little things, the flowers, the sun, everything. You are everywhere, though you are nowhere, and I’m missing you.

‘Ekki treysta fiskunum’ was released on October 21st and is available on Spotify and other streaming platforms.