Icelandic singer songwriter Hafdis Huld is set to release her third album Home on May 5th 2014. The single Queen Bee is being released on April 21st 2014 as a trailer for the full release to follow and you can watch the video for that here. Queen Bee, which was written as a thank you note for her neighbour who had given her a dog. Apparently she first baked him a cake, but as he was out the cake got eaten and the song was written instead, which is a good deal for the rest of us. Queen Bee is also our Song of the Day:
Home and the concept of belonging is the central theme of the album. For Hafdis her old house in a starkly beautiful valley surrounded by mountains just outside Reykjavikn is the perfect setting for writing and recording music, baking cakes and raising a daughter. With the remarkable Icelandic landscape as a constant backdrop, the songs bring everyday detail into sharp focus, perfectly illustrated on first single. The video is delightful too.
The whole album is stripped back and mainly centered around acoustic guitar, piano and voice, it’s the perfect foil for Hafdis’ pure vocals. If it demonstrates a reaction against the glossier more epic pop production techniques, the album is none the worse for it and we think you’ll soon fall in love with the new Hafdis. There’s a charming video that has Hafdis running through the album track by track, which is well worth 15 minutes of your time.
You’ll also have the chance to see Hafdis live (dates below).
Live Dates
Thu 01 May Haverhill Arts Centre
Fri 02 May Milton Keynes Stables 2
Thu 08 May Bury Met
Sun 11 May Reading South Street Arts
Tue 13 May Leicester Musician
Sat 17 May Nottingham Glee Club
Sun 18 May Gateshead Sage
Sun 25 May Winchester Railway
Sat 31 May Cambridge Junction
Thu 05 June London Camden Green Note