Vök [IS]

Icelandic electronic dream-pop trio Vök have just released their sophomore full-length LP In The Dark.
The trio are on the heels of a string of highly successful live dates, including 32 gigs in Europe to their U.S. debut with several concerts in select cities as well as support for Editors in Germany & Poland.

In The Dark is an eleven track collection written and recorded by Margrét Rán and Einar Stef in collaboration with UK producer James Earp. The LP sees Vök exploring their pop sound even further than before, creating their most immediate sounding and most accessible album yet. Recorded in Vök’s home studio in Reykjavík and in Notting Hill, London in early 2018, each song on In the Dark has its own definable character or theme, from “Night & Day’s” obsession to “Autopilot’s” crushing disappointment.

As titles go, the record’s name is telling. Though it is, at times, a euphoric and light sounding listening, bringing in influences ranging from Tame Impala though to The Weeknd and The 1975, its focus is on life’s testing experiences. “It seems happier on the surface but once you go into it there are darker undertones and sad lyrics,” says front-woman Margret. Lyrically, the best way to explain the album is to go from the first song to the last, seeing how the record is set up like a self-help book. “I wanted to put a few personal concepts out in a way that I could explain how they have affected me, how I have worked – and in some cases am still working on – getting over those feelings.”

Vök has toured extensively through Europe, supporting the likes of Goldfrapp and Asgeir, and performing at festivals including Roskilde, Green Man and Into the Woods.

The band first gained recognition within months of forming when they won Iceland’s prestigious Músíktilraunir (‘Music Experiments’), Their triumph soon led to the recording and release of their debut EP Tension through local Icelandic label Record Records.
Soon they began to further mark themselves out as rising innovators of
smart, atmospheric jams on their second EP Circles. Hailed by Noisey as “channelling the Beach soundtrack via 1980s synth pop and the modern sexiness of The Knife,”

Winning numerous new fans along the way with their brand of dreamy electronics with melodic vocals, the band soon caught the attention of Nettwerk Music Group (Angus & Julia Stone, Boxed In, The Veils), who instantly signed them for an international record deal. 2017 saw the release of their highly anticipated debut LP ‘Figure’ to critical acclaim. Produced
by Jack Garrett’s collaborator Brett Cox, The Line of Best Fit hailed it a “brilliant debut album”. ‘Figure’ won Album of the Year in the Electronic Music category at this year’s Icelandic Music Awards.