The internet provides so much, evolving what were local and national stages into an international one, allowing for artists' music to reach almost every corner of the planet. While there is next to no limit on musical territory anymore, there are naturally still flavours that resonate moreso with the tastes of the country or region. This forges another path for artists, in which they transcend their locality and overflow onto the international stage. With her unique approach to Scandinavian-inspired pop, Icelandic singer, songwriter and producer Áslaug is the perfect contemporary example of this, reaching an ever-expanding international audience thanks to her recently released self-titled debut EP.
In conjunction with the release, she has taken an against-the-norm approach in regards to visuals, collating all of the songs into one short film that is a, "...visual representation of the songs that I’ve written for my debut EP," she tells EARMILK. "They tell different stories of how I’ve dealt with love and relationships over the past few years. I’m quite a reflective person and spend a lot of time (over) thinking."
Opening with "If You Will/Hollow," Áslaug lets it perform like an overture, establishing the hallmarks of her sound and concurrent themes. The 2019 single "Take From Me" follows, the reception of which encouraged her to build an EP in the same atmosphere, along with her grandmother's Icelandic platitude "haltu utan um sjálfa þig," which she paraphrases to, "Embrace yourself, stand up tall and always remember that the first person you should take care of is you.” Following that, "I'm Sorry" maintains a melancholic atmosphere, with its R&B shades adding a subtlety to the palpable emotion that gently laps at your ears with each passing cadence. Closing us out is "In My Head," an introspective foray that masterfully toys with 80s power-pop stylings.
The pacing of the sixteen-minute visual exudes the same highs and lows found in her music, delivered with the calibre of a feature film; a truly standout release from an artist set to take the alt-pop world by storm.
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