Reykjavík Grapevine - 25.08.2017, Qupperneq 36

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Music
Milkhouse just released
their first LP, ‘Painted Mir-
rors.’ The Indie dreampop
band’s 12 new songs feature captivat-
ing lyrics in Icelandic and English, sung
by 21-year-old Katrín Helga Ólafsdót-
tir, whose style is reminiscent of a
young Björk. “The songs are about
how we as individuals explore our own
identity after what relationships we
want to explore or not…,” keyboardist
Victor Karl Magnússon told news site,
mbl. “The title of the album reflects
that: the individual tries his best to
paint his mirror image, but is always
vulnerable to how society views
him.”The album cover, designed by
Sólrún Ylfa Ingimarsdóttir, features
a distorted image, made up of the
faces of every member of the band,
reflecting the theme of the album’s
title. The band also recently released
a a music video for the song ‘Say My
Name,’ which is available on Youtube.
Hórmónar’s brand new song, ‘Glussi,’
is available for listening on Youtube.
The experimental Punk band first
performed the song at KEXport music
marathon earlier this summer. The
song’s tongue-in-cheek lyrics explore
themes of feminism, immigration,
capitalism and materialism. Brynhildur
Karlsdóttir, the lead vocalist, screams
with electrifying attitude, while Örn
Gauti goes crazy on the drums, and
Urður Bergsdóttir (bass), Katrín Guðb-
jartsdóttir (guitar), and Hjalti Torfason
(saxophone/noise), work their magic.
Sama-sem just released a music video
for their hot new single, ‘Sólsetrið,’ last
week. The video, which was directed by
Benedikt Andrason, Aron Már Ólafsson
and Andri Haraldsson, was previewed
at Prikið on August 10th. It is now ready
for your enjoyment on Youtube. Sama-
sem is a collaborative project between
hip hop artists DADYKEWL and BNGRBOY,
whohave been working together since
March. The single, ‘Sólsetrið,’ is the
first material the duo has released
together and is available on Spotify
and Soundcloud.
MUSIC
NEWS
Sincere Punk-Drag
Turning Her Gender Into A Mythological Music Being
Words: Steindór Grétar Jónsson Photo: Hörður Sveinsson
Love Killed EP
Out now
“My art has a lot of sexual energy,”
says Skaði, the music producer and
performer known for her punk-
electro drag performances. “I see
drag culture as a way to perform
as a sexual being, like expressing
an orgasm. I let it flow without
specifically meaning to shock. We
should all be allowed to express
this, wherever we are on the spec-
trum; gay, bi, straight, trans, non-
binary or whatever.”
A ubiquitous figure at the
rowdy Drag-Súgur shows and Gay
Pride celebrations, Skaði per-
forms in a way that juxtaposes the
colourful mainstream of drag. “I
feel punk is sincere,” she explains.
“You do what you want, whether or
not you know how to or can afford
it. The cave paintings—the first
pieces of human
art—are a form of
punk, because we
needed to create.
This is me, this is
us, we exist and we
made our mark.”
Spiritual
awakening
Skaði Þórðardót-
tir, born Ægir Þór,
chose the name of a
goddess from Nor-
dic mythology as-
sociated with win-
ter. Skaði married
Njörður, the god of
the sea, when she
had to choose a hus-
band based solely on
looking at the feet
of her divine suit-
ors. The real-life Skaði posits, “I
see mythology as a way to explain
to myself the struggle of being
a woman born in a man’s body.
Ægir, the name I was given by my
parents, is another name for the
god of the sea. It’s like I’m married
to myself!”
Coming to terms with being
trans was a decades’ long journey
for Skaði. “I was thirteen years old
when I first put on a bra in secret,”
she says. “I experienced it like there
was something wrong with me I
needed to overcome. At 16 years old,
I’d become a daily drug user. In 1998,
I felt a sort of spiritual awakening—
this strength came over me, and I
threw away my cocaine and speed,
poured the rest of my alcohol down
the drain. I went to rehab, joined AA
and NA.”
After having a daughter in the
early years of sobriety, Skaði at-
tempted a heteronormative life,
with occasional secretive cross-
dressing, resulting in cycles of
depression and self-harm. Finally,
while doing her graduation proj-
ect at the Royal Academy of the
Art in The Hague, she began to
come to terms with her gender
identity. “I kept asking myself;
who am I, what’s the substance of
my art, what do I want to convey?”
she explains. “My teachers and co-
students sometimes told me my
art was revealing and brave. But I
thought, ‘if you only
knew’.”
Barbie dating
He-Man
Three years later,
she’s more content
with herself than
ever before. “People
didn’t believe me,
like ‘I never thought
you were like that,
I’ve never seen you
as feminine’,” she
reveals. “I mean,
what is it to be a
woman or a man?
I never played with
Barbie, unless she
was sleeping with
He-Man. I loved
skateboarding, but
there’s a bunch of
girls who love skateboarding and
never play with Barbie.”
Having taken this step, Skaði
now feels set to focus on her art
and performances. “It may be a cli-
ché, but I feel that I can be a voice
that says ‘don’t doubt yourself’,”
she concludes. “I’m not hurting
anybody by being who I am, being
trans. It’s not like when I take my
hormones, some orthodox Rus-
sian guy gets leprosy!”
gpv.is/music
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“I’m not hurt-
ing anybody
by being who
I am, being
trans. It’s not
like when I
take my hor-
mones, some
orthodox Rus-
sian guy gets
leprosy!”