Reykjavík Grapevine - júl. 2020, Blaðsíða 17

gur hjá borginni”—“if you think
about it in context to the terrify-
ing opening C# diminished chord,
even this doo-wop song becomes
terrifying, it’s actually nightmar-
ish,” Bjarni explains. Inspired by a
host of new-wave post-punk mu-
sicians, the band harnesses these
clashing components to heighten
the album’s jarring energy. “We
became very invested in this idea
of making it sound very anxious,
making it very in your face.” Jói
says. “The whole process was very
experimental.”
“A hard-working band”
Initially Jói’s solo project, Skoffín
has had numerous line-ups over
the years, but
it’s now secure
in its member-
ship, the group
h a s e v o l v e d .
“ S k o f f í n b e -
came a differ-
ent entity when
we all started
p i t c h i n g i n
ideas,” Au"unn
explains. “The
songs always
start with an
idea and then
a n o t h e r a n d
another and we
just stack them
until we’ve got a
whole song. It’s
been really fun
to see what we can do together.”
“It’s getting more collabora-
tive,” Jói confirms, and all four
agree that the band is stronger as
a result.
Although the band’s structure
may have shifted over the years,
its values have not. “We’re a very
hardworking band,” Jói says.
“There’s this blue-collar work eth-
ic about us.” The
four then dive into
the story of how
they recorded the
album with the
help of The Vac-
cines’ Árni Árna-
son —an intense
three - day long
process set in a cramped “bunker
of undisclosed location,” as they
refer to it.
Grassroots roots
This indomitable work ethic
stems in part from the member’s
grassroots background. Hosting
free gigs, as Jói explains, “in some-
body’s grandmother’s living room
where you have to manoeuvre
your guitar, so it doesn’t hit some-
body” has long been the norm for
Skoffín. “We’ve played the worst
venues with the worst sound sys-
tems and tiny crowds,” he con-
tinues. “We’ve done all the worst
things you can do with live music,
but we’ve always
had so much fun. I
think you make the
best memories in
these quirky little
spots that don’t
quite logistically
add up to a music
venue.”
Hosting energetic, but some-
what makeshifts gigs has shaped
the album and the band. The first
three songs were initially tested
out last summer during a hectic
run of weekly performances. “We
do these gigs first and foremost
for the love of it, but they really
boosted the project further,” Bjar-
ni explains. “You
c a n p r a c t i c e
endlessly... but
actually playing
to other people
is what’s really
important.”
But the band
has since moved
o n t o b i g g e r
stages. In fact,
i f i t w e r e n’t
for COVID-19,
they’d be half-
way through a
US tour right
now. As Bjarni
reflects, their
DI Y a n a r c h i c
approach to mu-
sic-making may
not be tenable forever. “But it’s a
very important part of who we are
and we will never leave this scene
behind,” he concludes. “No matter
what happens in the future, this
scene will always be what we came
from.”
17The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 05— 2020
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