The first iteration of Life in the Vinyl Lane existed for about a decade before meeting its demise in a fit of frustration. I wasn’t able to migrate the content to v2.0, which was unfortunate but also a positive, because it allowed me to start fresh.
I did, however, download all my old posts into a PDF, which is why I know that the Icelandic trio GRÓA first came to my attention via their self-titled debut back in 2018. I liked it enough that GRÓA made it onto my year-end Top 5 “New To Me” Bands list. Here’s what I wrote about them in 2018:
If you look at the cover of GRÓA you’d be forgiven for assuming this is punk or some kind of extreme metal. But while there is some punk attitude, it’s more indie to my ears. The band is comprised of three young women who are still in high school, none of whom played anything other than piano before forming this band and making it all the way to the finals of Músíktilraunanna, Iceland’s annual battle of the bands. It’s hard to believe they got this good this fast, but I’m sitting here listening to the evidence with my own ears. I generally focus on albums as opposed to singles, but if I was picking a Top Song of 2018 I guarantee you that “Ocean Is Amber”1 would make the Top 5 and would be a strong contender for the top spot. The verses undulate and the choruses explode. There’s a hint of funkiness to the rhythm (and if you want to hear them get really funky, check out “Eoeo”) that is a perfect foil to the angsty vocals in the chorus. Other times they’re darker and punkier, most notably on “Fimmta Lagið”.
GRÓA were the talk of Iceland Airwaves in 2023. People raved about their live sets, and the band was also being supported by their new US label, Found Recordings. Found just re-released the band’s most recent two albums, Í Glimmerheimi (originally released on CD in 2019) and What I Like To Do (released digitally in 2021). I had a chance to chat with the folks behind the label, which has moved its focus to Icelandic artists. Great people, and I’m looking forward to seeing what else they put out in the future. I also picked up a copy of What I Like To Do on clear vinyl.
As for GRÓA, there’s a lot of info about the band online. These three ladies have been friends for a long time and have been playing together since 2017 – so even though they’re only in their very early 20s, they’ve already been performing as GRÓA for six years. That’s a pretty impressive run, and it comes through in their music.
There is an art rock/avant garde feel to What I Like To Do. In less-capable hands this kind of thing could go wildly off the rails, but GRÓA nail it, bringing a strong intentionality (and a lot of skill) to the music, giving the vocals freedom to go where they will. I’m particularly enthralled with how they use the bass, bringing the bass lines up front to propel their songs forward. This is most evident on “Fljúga Ljúga”, which might be my favorite track. I also love the energy of “Respect the Nature!”, featuring a guest appearance by another Iceland favorite, DJ Flugvél Og Geimskip.
Somehow I have not managed to catch GRÓA live despite their many Airwaves shows over the last few years. That’s a situation I’ll need to rectify at the very next opportunity. Plus the timing is such that we may due for a new album, so I’ll be keeping my eyes and ears open for news of that. This is a group that will likely be making waves soon – so get on board now!
- As soon as I heard “Ocean Is Amber” I was sure I’d heard it before, but I knew I’d never seen GRÓA perform live. Turns out the song was included on the comp Drullumall #1, which I also highly recommend. It was put out by the same label, so you can check it out at their Bandcamp page as well. ↩︎