Grapevine Playlist: Auður, Birgir, Skaði, Singapore Sling & More

What’s new in Icelandic Music you ask? Many, many things.

Singapore Sling – Suicide Twist
Take some classic 80s goth vocals, add a drum machine and some grunge guitars and wham, bam, a wild Singapore Sling appears. ‘Suicide Twist,’ the first single from their upcoming album ‘Killer Classics,’ is a solid effort for fans of the cult group. The video though, complete with throat slitting and more, is disturbing. Help. HJC

Sturla Atlas & Auður – Just A While
Hip-hop crooner Sturla Atlas has been relatively quiet for the past two years, but he’s back with a groovy, retro dance number that’ll be sure to make every teenager’s summer driving playlist. Featuring pop heart-throb Auður, it’s not Sturla Atlas’s best work, but it definitely has whet our palettes for more. New album soon? Please? HJC

GÓSS – Góssentíð
A thoroughly chilled album, these songs are pretty simple, musically—you can generally predict where they’ll go next—but it’s well mixed and Góss bring a lovely vocal tone to their music. Perhaps the listener’s experience might be better if you understand Icelandic, but their one English cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘True Love Leaves No Traces,’ is definitely worth a listen. FR

Birgir – For Our Love
A new single by Birgir which, if we’re honest, could probably have been written by a computer in New Jersey. There’s nothing actually unpleasant about it, per say, but the lyrics are vapid, the message banal and the tune pretty much instantly forgettable. No need to look it up if you actually want to hear it, however, because you can expect to hear it played in every Bónus on repeat for the next three months. FR

Auður – Enginn eins og þú
While the Icelandic summer might be a bit too chilly for this funky beach hit, Auður’s ‘Enginn eins og þú’ (‘No one like you’) might just grab that coveted spot as the song of the season. Snatch up a ticket to Tenerife, don your bikini, and drink a Peroni for maximum effect. HJC

Skaði – Skaði Manifesto
Pentagrams, lingerie, and confetti merge in Skaði’s new music video for her mantra, the ‘Skaði Manifesto.’ In it, the Eurovision dark horse makes sure you know who she is (for reference, it’s “motherfucking Skaði!”) over a bumping and melodic goth beat. HJC

To read more on new Icelandic Music check out previous Grapevine Playlist articles here

Read more Grapevine Playlist articles here, and subscribe to our New Icelandic Music playlist on Spotify here.