Indie pop act Valborg Olafs is releasing a new single titled “Holiday,” out June 11.
The Icelandic band was formed around singer/songwriter Valborg Ólafsdóttir and has been piquing attention since releasing their self-titled 2019 debut.
For their upcoming album, Silhouette, the band took a unique route and chose to self-produce the record on the southern coast of Iceland in a church under the Eyjafjallajökull volcano. You know, like one does.
As badass of a location as that is, we’re not surprised the new music has such a cool edge and vibrant sound. In fact, the band regards Silhouette as playful and breezy, like a breath of fresh air.
We sat down with the band to chat about the inspiration behind their new single, their musical process and the experience of self producing their upcoming album.
Beyond the Stage Magazine: What is the inspiration behind Holiday?
Valborg Ólafs: Like everybody else we have been stuck at home during the pandemic, so we made an ode to vacations. The dream about going somewhere else but home.
BTS: What’s your approach to songwriting? How did all of the elements in Holiday come together?
VO: In this particular song, we where trying to make a simple/catchy song that could work only vocals and a guitar. A song that you can perform anywhere, in the living room at home, or in a large concert hall. The arrangement came naturally. The core elements of the song is acoustic guitar and vocals, then we added the straight forward drums with a driving bass guitar, and a synth melody that binds it all together.
BTS: What was the experience of self-producing Silhouette like?
VO: The experience was fun, stressful, satisfying, gratifying and educational all at the same time.
BTS: Why did you choose to self produce? Did anything about that process surprise you?
VO: Sometimes it can be stressful to work in a studio with a producer where time is money. With that being said, we decided to record the rest of the album on our own and obviously produce it as well. We went to the south coast of Iceland and recorded in a small church with great acoustics. Since some of the songs had not been fully arranged, time was on our side and there were no limits to our creativity.
What was surprising to the journey was probably how much the church influenced our songs, a true haven!
BTS: How would you describe your sound to someone who’s new to your music?
VO: We don’t know, haha! I guess soft, honest and mysterious.
BTS: Do you have a favorite track off Silhouette?
VO: We love them all! If we have to choose though, we would say “Silhouette.”
BTS: How does Silhouette differ from your previous work?
VO: The last album was recorded in 3 days and all the songs were written by Valborg herself. Silhouette was recorded in a year with little breaks here and there and all the songs were written by the band.
As for what’s next? The band says, “The future looks bright ahead, we can’t wait to get back on the road to perform live. Bless Bless.” Be sure to check out “Holiday,” out June 11.
Keep up with Valborg Ólafs on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.
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