Ok, ok, I’ll admit it. I’m obsessed with new music from Iceland. I scour the internet looking for new bands, and I have been known to patrol the bars and clubs of Reykjavík looking for something new and exiting. Iceland Airwaves makes my head explode.

Just lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about Orfia. I had to find out more. Luckily, Soffía from the duo was on hand to enlighten me. Please ensure you have a glass of cold milk at hand.

How would you describe Orfia’s music? 

Hmm, synthetic, dreamy sounds mixed with interesting instruments, with influences from the Celtic scene and a hint of Middle East tonality maybe?

When do you think it is best to listen to it? 

With a glass of ice-cold milk.

It’s just you and Örn right? How did you meet? 

We met in Brother Grass, which is another band we formed in 2010. We were four girls thinking about just having one concert and needed a guitar player. One said “hey, I have a brother who plays the guitar, he’s really good, I promise!”. That’s it!

Where does the name Orfia come from? 

It comes from our lack of imagination in that area really. We kind of put both of our names together and the outcome was a female-ish type of name. Then we looked it up and the meaning of the word/name was “to have a beautiful voice,” which we thought was really nice and fitting for our project.

I love ‘Slow & Low.’ What’s the story behind the song?

The song is about a conflict between two lovers. The rest is for the listener’s imagination to reveal. I like those kinds of songs which don’t give the entire story away so the person listening can put their self in the song. Finish the story if you will.

Do you enjoy playing live? How was it playing the ‘Pikknikk’ concert in the greenhouse of the Nordic House? 

We love playing live but the Pikknikk concert at the Nordic House was the last one for now because we have plans on adding band members and enlarging our sound spectrum.

What’s next for Orfia? Do you have plans to release an album? 

Yes, the next step for us is to record an album and that will happen this fall and we are aiming on having it ready and rehearsed next spring. Then just a basic follow up on the album, hopefully we will be playing a lot next summer with Orfia.

What’s the biggest secret about Orfia? 

No secrets – we’re on Facebook.

Who (else) should we look out for on the Icelandic new music scene? 

I heard Samaris play at the Slut Walk in Reykjavík. They create some kind of magic with their live performance. I think they will go far.

Original article published on Iceland Review online.