INTERVIEW: VAR
VAR
The Photo Ladies Interview
Icelandic melodic indie-rock quartet VAR have recently released their new album The Never Ending Year via Spartan Records, full of dreamy soundscapes and soaring instrumentals. Although the band's first album, 2017's Vetur, was sung mostly in Icelandic, the new album is the quartets first all English album. It was not a conscious decision by the band to make an English album, but flow of the songs dictated the language for which the songs would be sung. Influenced by the creativity, inclusiveness and collaborative and vibrant nature of the Icelandic music scene, the band has developed their own unique sound that encapsulates beautiful compositions with powerful vocals. What began as a solo project for Júlíus Óttar Björgvinsson (vocals/guitar/piano) in 2013 soon developed into a collaboration with his wife Myrra Rós (synths, vocals) and his brother Egill Björgvinsson (bass) joining the band along with friends Arnór Jónasson (guitar) and Andri Freyr Þorgeirsson (drums). VAR wrote and recorded their Vetur EP with this line up and performed for several years, building a fiercely loyal fanbase. With time and competing responsibilities, Myrra Rós was pulled in a different direction and drummer Sigurður Ingi Einarsson replaced Andri Freyr to solidify the band's current and more concentrated lineup. The current lineup has become a catalyst for the reimagining of VAR’s sound into something more refined, louder and faster. You can follow VAR and stay up-to date on all upcoming music and news, as well as stream and purchase their music, via the following links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | YouTube | Deezer | Bandcamp
You released your new album The Never-Ending Year in April. It has been described as a challenging listen that requires patience and space as it builds and settles. Was it always your goal to make an album that was intricate in its sounds that people would have to really dig into? What inspired the louder and faster sound?
We did not set out with a specific goal for the album. We work on things until we are satisfied with them and then you might say our goal is achieved. If some people feel they need to ‘dig into’ the album and listen more than once I think that’s great because personally I think those are some of the best albums, the ones you have to sink your head into. The louder and faster sound of the album is something we link to moving our practice space back to the garage at my father's house, the good old garage band feel.
You worked for the first time with a dedicated producer, your friend Eiour, whom you have said had a specific sound you wanted to try out. What was the sound? You have also said that you recorded the song "Moments" before deciding to make the full record. What do you feel made the collaboration work, which led to you continue on with a full record?
We did not know Eiður very well personally before we started recording. We knew him mainly from the bands he had been playing in. He had been producing and mixing the music for his own bands and we were all big fans of them. He has a very specific sound with a kind of a 90’s vibe to it which we found very intriguing and felt would fit very well with ‘Moments’. Eiður made ‘Moments’ sound exactly like we wanted it to, and during the recordings we had a very good working relationship and a great friendship so we felt it was a logical next step to work together on an album.
You wrote and recorded the album over the course of a year. What were some of the high points of the process for you and what were some of the low points?
What might be called a low point is that the process took a lot longer than we planned at first and some things happened very slowly. But in the end we are very happy with the album and we gained a good friend and co-worker that we will definitely be working with again in the future.
You have talked about the influence for you of the power and sounds of the ocean. What can you tell me about your love for the ocean and how it influenced the sounds of the album? Were you also influenced by any other aspects of your country, such as landscape or other natural aspects? It is such a beautiful country!
We are now practicing at my father's pipe organ workshop which is located in an old fish freezing plant by the shoreline in the small town of Stokkseyri. I live there myself and take my dog for daily walks along the beach and the ocean can draw very strong emotions from you, the great power that you can hear from it and at the same time have a strong feeling of calmness. When the other boys come over for a practice they drive a very scenic and beautiful route and I am sure that has an influence on their creativity. It might sound like cliché but the closeness to this beautiful and powerful nature is bound to have some influence on you.
You have said that "Run" is a song that you weren't sure would fit on the record due to having a different vibe, but that your producer vetoed the decision. What did he love about the song and how did he convince you that it belonged on the album?
He immediately liked the power and rawness of he song and wanted to work on it further. He took it more as a challenge to make the song sound right and fit in with the whole.
What can you tell me about releasing your first fully English album? You have said that it really wasn't a conscious decision. Why do you feel that the songs flowed better in English?
We never decide whether a song shall be in English or Icelandic. We usually write the songs first and when it is time to find a melody to sing that’s when it comes clear whether it will be in Icelandic or English. The two languages have a different rhythm to them. All the songs on The Never-Ending Year happened to have a better feel to them in English. That does not mean we have stopped writing in Icelandic, but it is just a question of what we feel fits best for each song.
I know you have mentioned not being influenced necessarily by any particular band, but you have talked about what is described as the "Icelandic Sound" coming from musicians in Iceland working together and collaborating with each other often. Do you feel that the collaborative spirit of the musical community in Iceland has pushed your creativity?
It definitely has an impact and some influence to have the opportunity to work in different projects with people that you respect and have listened to through the years.
How have you guys been adjusting to life in isolation/quarantine due to COVID-19? You've said that whereas you normally come up with songs at practice by playing together, now it's more one-on-one. What has that been like? Do you see any positive changes in music coming out of the self-isolation when this is all over?
It has been strange not to have been able to play together. Arnór for example had to go to quarantine for two weeks and he used that time to record some new ideas that we have been listening to each on his own, and it is going to be exciting to work through those ideas very soon. The creativity is flowing and we have a lot of new ideas that we look forward to becoming full songs, and maybe even an album.
What can you tell me about the videos you plan to record soon? How have the shutdowns and self-isolation affected your process, if at all? Did you have ideas for the videos before the shutdowns that you now have to modify?
We originally intended to record the videos at the time that the album was released but had to postpone because of the situation. The process will be the same, only released a bit later than first intended.
You have talked about how musically diverse Iceland is, with hip hop, metal and hardcore becoming popular. Do you see yourselves forging into new sonic territory going forward and experimenting with different sounds?
We don’t intentionally try to follow any specific sound or genre, we just do what we feel like and we have not planned what the next album is going to sound like. I think all musicians keep experimenting with new territories and different sounds and that is something that we will keep on doing as we think it is important not to stagnate.
What's next for you?
To continue with this never-ending year. We hope to be able to follow up on our album by touring and playing shows when that will be possible again and continue to work our way through the Covid-demos.