Reykjavík Grapevine - Jan 2019, Blaðsíða 25

ONE TO WATCH : GRÓA

It’s a moment of pure DIY punk bliss: three girls want to form a band but have no
musical background. One, Hrafnhildur Einarsdóttir, uses YouTube tutorials to teach
herself how to play drums. Another, Fríða Björg Pétursdóttir, learns bass from online
how-to guides. The last, Karólina Einarsdóttir, has never sung in front of anyone before.
They write a song and play at the 2017 Músíktilraunir contest as their first show. After
a raucous performance, not only do they make it to the finals, but they become the
dark horse and fan favourite of the event—the talk of the punk town.
So began GRÓA, our ‘One To Watch’ this year, who, after bursting onto the scene
only two years ago, have proven that despite being only 16 and 17 years old, they can
stand with the best of them. Watch out.
PUNK THERAPY
This year has been a big year for the trio. In April, they dropped their self-titled debut
album, which consisted of the first seven songs that the three had ever written. Their
earworm melodies are infused with riot grrl attitude, and the LP showed a maturity
far beyond that of newbie songwriters. This innate knack for punk hits quickly grew
them a fanbase in Reykjavík.
Over the next months, they followed up the album with a stacked performance
schedule as well as a highly anticipated Airwaves appearance, which one Grapevine
reviewer described as “electroshock therapy.”
GRÓA 2.0
But the girls look at their last two years as mere preparation for where they are now.
Now experienced musicians, songwriters and performers, Hrafnhildur, Fríða, and
Karólina see themselves entering phase two of GRÓA.
“This last half year we have been making a lot of new songs and they are very
different from our first album,” Karólina says. “We’re going in a different direction
and it’s more the way we want to make music. We’re very excited.” Hrafnhildur nods.
“We’ve found a little more energy. It’s a little more post-punk.”
GRÓA is currently recording a second album and making a music video while still
performing regularly around the city. “We feel so good winning this award. It’s given
us such a boost,” Fríða says, smiling. “And it fits, right now, because we are about to
make new stuff in such a different way. The next year is going to be very exciting.” HJC
Meet The
Panel
JOHN ROGERS, THE REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE
The advisory panel was chaired by John Rogers, Managing Edi-
tor of the Grapevine, and the person chiefly responsible for the
magazine’s culture content. John has worked all over the mu-
sic industry, with a focus on Icelandic music, before settling in
journalism, including stints running a label, working as a man-
ager and publicist, and organising concerts, including a stage at
Iceland Airwaves. He’s also a resident DJ at Kaffibarinn.
ANNA ÁSTHILDUR, ICELAND AIRWAVES
Starting out in music at the Iceland Music export agency as the
right-hand-woman of Sigtryggur Baldursson, Anna’s knowledge
of Icelandic music is broad and balanced across the genres. How-
ever, as a Berlin resident, Anna has a particular personal inter-
est and specialism in electronica. Currently a part of the Iceland
Airwaves team, Anna works at the cutting edge of what’s new in
Icelandic music.
ANNA GYÐA SIGURGÍSLADÓTTIR, RÚV+
A culture journalist at Rás 1 radio, Anna Gyða also programmes
Lestin, the station’s daily cultural show at Rás 1, which focuses
on the different waves and vibes that shape Iceland’s culture and
people. With a keen eye on contemporary trends, new artists and
emerging scenes, and an open-minded musical curiosity, we
were happy to add Anna Gyða’s perspective to this year’s panel.
KEVIN COLE, KEXP
A living radio legend, US DJ Kevin Cole is one of the voices (and
faces) of Seattle alternative radio station KEXP. Kevin has culti-
vated a deep connection to the Icelandic music scene spanning
a decade, and keeps completely up to date during the expansive
listening process behind the curation of KEXP’s Iceland Air-
waves off venue each year. Also a steadfast champion of Icelan-
dic music in the US, we’re honoured to have him on the panel.
ALEXANDER JEAN DE FONTENAY,
DJ, JOURNALIST & MORE
A face-around-town and diligent culture enthusiast, Alexander
is the music journalist behind Grapevine’s ‘Electric Dreams’
music column, and also plays a big part in curating and organis-
ing the Grapevine Grassroots concert series each year. He’s also
a student of the arts, a DJ with several different guises, and a
keen observer of new developments in Icelandic music, with his
ear ever to the ground.
STEINAR FJELDSTED, EDITOR, ALBUMM.IS
As the editor of the exhaustive—even completist—stream of
news and release info that is the Icelandic-language albumm.
is website, Steinar Fjeldsted listens to material from across
the spectrum of Icelandic music. From big hits to hidden gems,
Steinar’s knowledge of what’s up in Iceland’s music scene is sec-
ond to none, and he gave some excellent tips for this year’s music
awards.
25The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 01— 2019