Track By Track: Í Hringi By Woolly Kind

Warm, fuzzy folk rock

Self-described fuzz-folk troupe Woolly Kind, spearheaded by local musician Einar Karl Pétursson, released its first — and perhaps last — album on September 26. Right after its release and subsequent concert, the performing band disbanded, leaving Einar to figure out Woolly Kind’s live set once more. Í hringi is a nod to late ‘90s and early ‘00s indie acts such as Neutral Milk Hotel and The Magnetic Fields, filled with exhaustive personal testaments influenced by the spirit of Reykjavík DIY.

í hringi by Woolly Kind

… og svo kom óttinn

…and then fear appeared. This first track of the album is, in short, about the beginning and end of a relationship and the feeling that pursues. On the album I am generally trying to paint a picture of a formative year in my life when I was a teenager and I think this song, and especially the explosive second half, captures the feeling pretty well. The feeling of being unsure and scared about the moment and what’s to come.

Af hverju?

Why? A huge burst of emotion following my first breakup. I wanted to capture what I was feeling after the fact and what I was experiencing. Today I see a person that could have avoided an isolating period in his life by looking more inward.

“Arguments with myself are prominent as well as contemplations on why I keep taking on more and more tasks.”

Túbusjónvarp

CRT TV. The song was released as a single featuring the band but appears on the album solo and lo-fi to further convey the isolating covid period it was written in. It’s about coming to terms with what happened and reminding oneself to look in the mirror. Or in this case the switched-off tube TV in my bedroom…

Hvað?

What? Most likely the first song written for the album! It was the main inspiration for when I wanted to form the band back in 2022. It’s a silly song about social anxiety and being unable to express myself in social gatherings.

Fallegt bros

beautiful smile. A weird attempt at a pop song that ended in seven minutes. Classic pop music, right? But the song is about having a crush on the idea and look of random people and what a weird concept that is. So the song isn’t really about anyone in particular but rather the feeling of liking someone. My current partner definitely influenced the song a lot even though it’s supposed to be about what I was thinking about when I was like 17.

Hvar?

Where? An interlude that goes directly into the next song. We were originally going to record this song in the studio but demo-itis got to me so we used a phone recording from practice and Víf, our drummer, overdubbed a piano since they weren’t at that practice.

Án titils (ólagið)

untitled (unsong). This song didn’t have a title for the longest time and when I finally found a title that fit, it still didn’t sound great on its own and is therefore also untitled. The song is about being unsure about communication with another person and whether or not they are interested. “Is something happening here?”

Hvenær?

When? Like, when do I stop thinking about a person I thought I was over even if it’s been so long? Another exhaustive personal song…

eitthvað…

something… is a 15-minute beast about burnout and things repeating themselves, in circles. Which is the name of the album… Arguments with myself are prominent as well as contemplations on why I keep taking on more and more tasks.