Reykjavík Grapevine - jan 2022, Qupperneq 24

An Intimate Journey
with Axel Flóvent
He walks us throu!h 'You Stay By The Sea'
Words: Valur Grettisson/Axel Flóvent Photo: Provided by artist
Info
Axel Flóvent’s newest album, ‘You
Stay By The Sea’, has been attracting
a lot of international attention—and
for a good reason. It’s a beautiful
journey through his inner life, from
overthinking stuff (we have all done
that) to friendship that slowly fades
away. Axel’s intimate approach has
caught the eyes of the Reykjavík
Grapevine as well, and we asked
the artist to explain, track by track,
where he’s coming from. Here’s what
he had to say.
Tonight
The first thought I had when writ-
ing this was that I wanted to write
a song that would set the scene and
create the mood going into the re-
cord. I initially wrote the song as
an ambient intro. A few years later,
the piece evolved into a song on its
own. “Tonight” is about the path
to stability.
Driving Hours
This is about getting in one’s own
way because of overthinking, ana-
lyzing one’s wrongs, and letting
fear get in the way of following
one’s own needs.
Tourist
This song is about trying to reach
the unreachable, to hold on to
something when you know you
should let go.
December Traffic
It’s about a friendship that faded
away; the doubts, the wonders, and
all the places the mind goes after a
relationship disappears from one’s
life.
Blood
This track is about not confronting
negative energy, so it just lingers
inside. And the longer it stays, the
worse it gets, and it feels like it’s
swimming inside the blood and
slowly becoming a part of yourself
until a change happens.
Fall Asleep
The song is a journey through an
anxious mind and finding comfort
in the discomfort. Even though
you know it feels alright, you’re
still worried, and the worries keep
coming, filling the space.
Still Awake
This song is the high after the
low. It’s about the motivation that
picks me up after a few dark days.
It’s an answer to “Fall Asleep.” It’s
essentially about how everything
is great now and wishing everyday
was like this until the low returns
and I can’t fall asleep again.
Indefinite
It’s important to keep listening
and learning, no matter how de-
fined one’s opinion is. Seeing the
light that’s on the other side and
fighting the limited mind to get
further.
How Can I
When I was living alone in Brigh-
ton, I was very isolated. I felt dis-
tant from everything I cared about
and made music to find clarity
and fulfillment in the absence of
everything I loved. “How Can I” is
about self-care and what happens
without it.
Haunted
It’s about the fear of the unknown
being heavier than the reality
and recognizing that the things I
taught myself to avoid are, most of
the time, the things I needed the
most in my life.
Fireworks
Is about an end to something
meaningful – both the sadness of
its finality and the relief to be able
to move on from it to something
new without the lingering doubts.
You Stay by the Sea
The title track is, appropriately, the
story for my album. The song sum-
marizes what I’m going through,
looking at different kinds of anxi-
eties I’ve carried with me and find-
ing my way back home. The album,
‘You Stay by the Sea,’ is this peace-
ful state of mind that keeps me
safe from it all.
Guess what? You can grab your
copy of these album on
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24The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 01— 2022
Not sure if Axel is Still Awake...
Track By Track