Words by Art Jefferson
Images courtesy of East Of My Youth

Iceland is truly one of the world’s gifts of the world. Its magical landscape has not only made for one of the most visually pleasing sights of all time but in terms of the country’s musical contribution, Iceland has birthed some of the most influential artists of all time i.e Björk, Sigur Rós and the list continues. Whilst Reykjavík duo East Of My Youth have much to be proud of regarding their city and country, they are the next Icelandic wonders to add on to this firm legacy.

Consisting of Thelma Marín Jónsdóttir and Herdís Stefánsdóttir, East Of My Youth create a brand of electronic pop that is layered with an artistic beauty constructed of otherworldly rhythms and Jónsdóttir’s entrancing vocals. Their debut single ‘Lemonstars’ released in 2014, was welcomed with immediate praise from music critics with it’s spacious production led by enticing piano riffs. Following up with their ethereal song ‘Only Lover’, East Of My Youth had proven that they could no wrong as they went on to perform at Sónar Reykjavík 2016 on the Red Bull Music Academy stage as well as SXSW in Austin, Texas.

East Of My Youth’s latest single ‘Mother’ is an upbeat electro-pop piece that whilst slightly different in sound from their previous two tracks, still contains their vivid EOMY imprint. Designing music based on mood and feeling rather than formulaic expectancy, Thelma Marín Jónsdóttir and Herdís Stefánsdóttir are operating on that same artistic table that their predecessors have produced some of the most fascinating and inspiring sounds of our time on.

What inspired the name of the band? It has such a poetic feel to it.

EOMY – The name comes from Jack Kerouac’s On The Road: “I was halfway across America, at the dividing line between the East of my youth and the West of my future.” The sentence perfectly describes the moment when we were forming the band. We were both standing on crossroads having recently graduated from Art School. Looking back brought us a nostalgic feeling of youth, something that was and never comes back but awaiting is the future with all it’s possibilities and uncertainty.

How did you two meet and when did you decide to form a band together?

EOMY – We grew up in the same kietz in Reykjavík, West Town. We went to the same elementary school and knew off each other. Then we went to the same High School and then finally studied in the same year in the Iceland Art Academy. But it wasn’t until we had graduated that we were sitting at a bar in Berlin, contemplating the next steps in life, that we decided to make a full blown pop song with a video and all. ‘Lemonstars’ emerged. Now almost two years later we’re a band.

Can you talk about your track ‘Mother’? Is it true that the production was inspired from you listening to music from China?

EOMY – Yes, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The song has a lot of the pentatonic scale in it and we started to write the song with the Chinese music we had been listening to, fresh in our ears.

You two hail from Reykjavík which is a city that is responsible for some of the most groundbreaking acts. In your opinion, what is it about Reykjavík that seems to constantly spawn a wave of artists that leave such a high creative mark in music?

EOMY – It’s the water. It has some magic in it. And maybe the small size of the city. It is easy to get to know people, start collaborations, play your music etc.

In the beginning of your song ‘Lemonstars’ there are the lines “Some people say it’s boring to live in reality. What is the fun of making the days go by. Living where one day comes after the other…”. This could tap into the idea of escapism from the monotony of life. Was this a personal feeling that you were experiencing when you wrote the lyrics to ‘Lemonstars’?

EOMY – The lyrics are inspired by a novel, Worldlight, by Halldór Laxness, Iceland’s Nobel Prize author. One of the characters in the book is sick and delirious in his bed and finds himself in a dreamlike state, unable to distinguish reality from the dreams. And yes, we could say that at least the beginning of the song captures the feeling of escaping the monotony of life. And actually we had never written lyrics before so we decided to do some free writing and cut loose in composing. We opened up a new vein of creation. ‘Lemonstars’ was the perfect result.

Although the production of your music is an experimental hybrid, the result is an atmospheric and emotive sound that you can call your own. Was that something that you were aiming for initially?

EOMY – Not really. We just do whatever we feel like at each moment so every song we write is a bit different from the previous one.

There is also a strong visual aesthetic to the band from the images down to the design of your tote bags that you were selling a couple years back. Can you talk about the importance of having that strong visual presence?

EOMY – It’s really important to expand the experience, both for us and the audience; to tickle all senses and get the whole body engaged in the multidimensional possibility of experiencing music…and life.

You have been supported by magazines around the world. How does it feel to know that your music has been embraced so strongly since your first release?

EOMY – We’re really honoured. It’s a great feeling that our music is finding it’s way to the world and to have good feedback from people.

https://www.facebook.com/eastofmyyouthreykjavik
https://soundcloud.com/east-of-my-youth
https://twitter.com/EastOf_MyYouth