Ryan's Gig Guide - April 2019

Sunday 14th April The Cuban Embassy. Moseley  Check them out in our Spotify playlist www.ryansgigguide.com/audio  Icelandic electronic dream- pop trio Vök released their second full-length LP In The Dark in March. In The Dark is an eleven track collection written and recorded by Margrét Rán and Einar Stef in collaboration with UK pro- ducer James Earp. The LP sees Vök exploring their pop sound even further than be- fore, creating their most im- mediate sounding and most accessible album yet. Recorded inVök’s home studio in Reykjavík and in Notting Hill, Lon- don in early 2018, each song on In the Dark has its own definable character or theme, from “Night & Day’s” obses- sion to “Autopilot’s” crushing disappoint- ment. Named after the Icelandic word for ‘hole in the ice’,Vök are an electron- ic dream-pop band based in Reykjavík. The band first gained recognition with- in months of forming when they won Iceland’s prestigious Músíktilraunir (‘Music Experiments’), a battle of the bands contest where past alumni winners include Mammút, Of Mon- sters And Men, and Samaris. Their triumph soon led to the recording and release of their debut EP Tension through local Icelandic label Record Records — to a slew of positive and glowing re- views. 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,” the Circles EP won them even more positive praise and support. After playing shows and festivals in Europe, 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 in- ternational record deal. 2017 saw the release of their highly antici- pated debut LP ‘Figure’ to critical acclaim. Produced by Jack Garrett collaborator Brett Cox, The Line of Best Fit hailed it a “brilliant de- but album”.‘Figure’ won Album of the Year in the Electronic Music category at this year’s Icelandic Music Awards.  www.vok.is www.ryansgigguide.com rgg Apr 2019 13