Icelandic theremin musician Hekla Magnúsdóttir releases Sprungur EP on August 28. The haunting six-track recording has been inspired by movie soundtracks and follows on from her 2018 debut album A. It was written and self-recorded at her home studio in Reykjavik during maternity leave.
On the new EP, Hekla adds in ghostly piano lines and subtle synth parts as well as her distinctive vocals and theremin to create a selection of magical, ambient tracks. Opening single Tvö þrjú Slit begins as a haunted waltz, while Sofðu Unga Ástin Mín is an arrangement of a traditional Icelandic lullaby – “It always scared me out when I was little,” she says. The EP title comes from the lyric, ‘Í jöklinum hljóða dauðadjúpar sprungur’, which translates as: In the glacier rumbles deadly deep cracks.
Says Hekla, “I used to describe my music as minimal sci-fi but I think it’s become bigger than that. It can be really dark and heavy but also really bright and light.”
Listen to the atmospheric Tvö Þrjú Slit below.
