FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Music

Icelandic Post-Punks Kaelan Mikla Go Dark on Their New LP

Stream the otherworldly trio's euphoric, Cure-approved new album, 'Nótt eftir nótt'
Kælan Mikla Verði Ljós web
Photo by Verði Ljós

I first came across Icelandic darkwave-y post-punks Kaelan Mikla back in 2012 at Eistnaflug, a predominantly metal festival held yearly in Neskaupstaður, a small village on the east coast of the island. I didn't quite know what to make of their rhythmic compositions and riot grrrl-inflected spoken word—but I couldn't look away, either.

Since then, the trio has come up in a big way, notching an extensive run of European dates with King Dude and opening for The Cure on a few dates. Their upcoming new album for Artoffact Records, Nótt eftir nótt, blends the mystical and euphoric with cold, hard synth and icy darkwave vibes; it's a digital ice sculpture, wrought in slick Blade Runner tones and breathy, eerie vocals.

Advertisement

"Nótt eftir nótt (translation: night after night) contains songs of regrets, shadows, witches and all the things that lure in the darkest hour of night, mixed with Icelandic folklore and reminiscence of the winter darkness that simultaneously frightens us and makes us feel at home," says the band's keyboardist, Solveig Matthildur.

"Dreams and nightmares, sleeplessness, confusion and that strange place between sleep and awake, the album focuses on the mystical things that happen in the night both around us and within our minds. With this album and our performances we want to create a world for listener to enter."

"Our origin as a band comes from a poetry slam we won in 2013," she continues. "We gathered as a group with the interest of expressing everything we were feeling at the time, through poetry, performance and music. Since then we have evolved a lot and are very happy with our newest creation. We have been writing Nótt eftir nótt since we released our debut album, Kælan Mikla, in 2016 and got great help from our friend Kipras. He recorded the album and did magical work on the sound and production."

Listen below. The album is out November 9, and preorders are available here.

Catch Kælan Mikla live:
Nov 8 - Iceland Airwaves, Reykjavik, IS
Nov 9 - Den Sorte Firkant, Copenhagen, DK
Nov 10 - Fabrika Fest, Berlin, DE

Jan 16-19 - Groningen, NL @ Eurosonic

w/ Some Ember:
Jan 31 - Malmo, SE Malmo @ Plan B
Feb 1 - Gothenburg, SE @ Musikens Hus
Feb 2 - Stockholm, SE @ Kraken
Feb 3 - Copenhagen, DK @ Hotel Cecil
Feb 4 - Hamburg, DE @ Rote Flora
Feb 5 - Köln, DE @ Blue Shell
Feb 7 - Linz, AT @ Kapu
Feb 8 - Verona, IT @ Kroen
Feb 9 - Milano, IT @ Cox18
Feb 10 - Lyon, FR @ Sonic
Feb 11 - Barcelona, ES @ Meteoro
Feb 12 - Madrid, ES @ Wurlitzer Ballroom
Feb 13 - Bilbao, ES @ Kutxa Beltza
Feb 14 - Bordeaux, FR @ IBOAT
Feb 15 - Paris, FR @ Espace B
Feb 16 - Bruxelles, BE @ Botanique
Feb 17 - Bristol, UK @ Crofters
Feb 19 - London, UK @ Electrowerkz
Feb 20 - Lille, FR @ Le Malterie
Feb 21 - Metz, FR @ La Douche Froide
Feb 22 - Bremgarten, CH @ KuZeB
Feb 23 - Mannheim, DE @ Schatten über Mannheim
Feb 24 - Munich, DE @ Milla Club
Feb 25 - Bratislava, SK @ Kulturak Klub
Feb 26 - Budapest, HU @ Robot
Feb 27 - Wien, AT @ Kramladen
Mar 1 - Krakow, PL @ Kub RE

Kim Kelly is going darker on Twitter.