Reykjavík Grapevine - mar. 2021, Blaðsíða 18

18The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 03— 2021Music
gpv.is/music
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A Tourist, No
More
On his debut effort, Axel Flóvent returns home
Words: Hannah Jane Cohen Photo: Art Bicnick
Album
Check out ‘You Stay by the Sea’ on
all streaming platforms or pick up a
copy at shop.grapevine.is
Perhaps Axel Flóvent’s debut al-
bum ‘You Stay by the Sea’ is the al-
bum 2021 needs, even if it doesn’t
know it yet. After the chaos of
2020, Axel’s calming, homey tones
feel like a retreat into the quiet,
carefree warmth
of chi ldhood—
the folky indie-
pop that reminds
us of the unpre-
tentious human-
ness of the genre.
It’s an effort that
exists outside of
current events.
Much l i ke the
waves it’s named
for, Axel has cre-
ated a timeless work that harkens
back to a time where the chance
of a moment alone at home was a
luxury, rather than a torment.
Returning home
The album followed Axel’s move
from Amsterdam to Brighton and
subsequently home to Iceland. It
was a dark time for the artist. He
felt isolated and unsupported. For
years, he had dreamt of releas-
ing his debut album, which he
had years ago gone to Europe to
do, but the pieces had never lined
up. Now, missing his family and
friends in Iceland and seemingly
without purpose, he felt like he had
no other choice.
“I didn’t want to move home
right away,” he says softly. “I felt
that if I returned to Iceland, I had
failed in my mission. In my na-
ive mind, I had this idea that if I
was going to re-
turn to Iceland, I
needed to come
home with some-
thing.”
But coming
home ended up
being serendipi-
t o u s , b e c au s e
upon his return
to the country, he
was immediately
contacted by his
current label, Nettwerk, who were
anxious to help him release his
long-awaited debut. “They were
the perfect fit for me,” he smiles
brightly. And in January, his dream
was finally realised.
That cliché feeling
“The concept of the record came
from this story,” Axel continues.
“It was the sense of being close to
the sea because I grew up by the
sea. It was a concept I wanted to
write around; the story that I went
on this journey, just to find out
that I wanted to be home.” Sud-
denly he laughs, almost rolling
his eyes at his words. “The cliché
feeling.”
Of course—things are cliché for
a reason. They’re usually true.
Musically, Axel emphasises, it
was also a journey home. “Previ-
ously, I felt like I wanted more pop
elements to show
people that I had a
lot of sides to myself
as an artist,” he ad-
mits. “But I guess I
thought that I want-
ed to do that more
than I did, so when I
went to this record, I
thought I’m going to
go back to my roots.
I went more acoustic indie-folk
because I had always wanted my
first record to represent that part
of myself.”
Maybe you'll find it
“Tourist”—Axel’s first single from
the album—is particularly em-
blematic of this. It’s a pining song
that feels most apt for a twilight
walk through a foggy city. Slow
and mournful at the beginning,
it journeys into a large, aching
soundscape and coalesces with Ax-
el’s resigned plea of, “Maybe you’ll
find it”—with each repetition more
heartbreaking than the last. Even
so, there’s still a note of warmth in
Axel’s voice. You get the feeling he
doesn’t just hope you’ll find it—he’s
sure you will.
“‘Tourist’ is how I felt. I felt like
a tourist in all these places. And
the emotion that brings out in you
is just feeling lost, and looking for
something that makes you feel like
that is where you’re meant to be,”
he explains. “And being a tourist
is the opposite of that. You’re un-
sure of your emotions. You start
questioning everything and it had
a domino effect
on the rest of my
life. I got to a point
where I thought—
is this what I want
to do with my life?
The thing I love the
most? I got myself
to a point where I
started questioning
my love for music.”
But with the return home, Ax-
el’s questioning faded. And the al-
bum ends on an inspirational tone
with the title song “You Stay by the
Sea.” It’s a secure song, without
the self-conscious questioning of
“Tourist”. Instead, from his posi-
tion back in his roots, Axel ends his
debut effort with definite sureness.
Slowly, over a strong, simple piano
melody, he gives his wisdom:
“That your eyes won't bleed as much
When you stay by the sea
And your house won't need as much
With her, you will see
You stay by the sea”
You won't find Axel in a pu$n shop
“I got to a point
where I thought—
is this what I want
to do with my life?
The thing I love the
most?”
“I went on this
journey, just to
find out that I
wanted to be
home.”