A Chat with AGGRASOPPAR (28.03.24)
Described as a “flower-punk/ axe killer-pop band from the Faroe Islands”, AGGRASOPPAR blasts into your ears with their chaotic, energetic and exhilarating music. In 2020 the group released their self-titled debut album, and since then they have released several well-received EPs and critically acclaimed singles, as well as performing at SPOT Festival and The Great Escape. We speak with band member Ayphin and AGGRASOPPAR’s new album MIDNÁTTARSANG, their single ‘OMMACHEPANNEKÆK’, winning lottery numbers and much more.
OSR: Let’s get straight to it: What can you tell us about your single ‘OMMACHEPANNEKǢK’? Is there a backstory or theme?
Ayphin: The general theme in our latest project ‘døgurðaslang/MIDNÁTTARSANG’ is food related. I, Ayphin, produced the beat some time ago and I wanted to make a Neptunes-type beat! I showed it to Dada and Sóljudrongur, and they loved it. There’s like a sample of a guy yelling “CHALALALA OLA OWEYEYAEYAEEEEY”, and Dada started to come up with food-related sentences that rhymed with it. There’s a line on there, where she roasts one of my pasta stews, which contained ham dice, chicken nuggets, carrots and pasta screws. That stew legit inspired me to become vegetarian, NO JOKE.
Sóljudrongur wrote a clever verse about how a hot room gives sweat pancakes under your arms but also lists ingredients which any grandma would use to make pancakes. My verse is about waking up after a long lunch nap.
OSR: Did you face any challenges when recording the single?
Ayphin: Not necessarily in the recording sessions of the song, but in the mixing sessions. The song could have been 20 seconds longer, where Sóljudrongur devilishly laughs, and it is so damn contagious. It became a long debate, but he had the final say. That’s a version no one is ever going to hear, and I’m grateful for that moment when recording. We were laughing for five minutes straight 😄
OSR: If you could change anything about ‘OMMACHEPANNEKÆK’, what would it be?
Ayphin: The aforementioned laugh for example! And maybe the delivery as well 😄! Since we have played it live numerous amount of times, and when played live it’s a lot more aggressive with jazzy live instrumentation. But I still love the laidback and kind of eerie feel of the master.
OSR: This single is from the new EP MIDNÁTTARSANG, what can you tell us about the EP?
Ayphin: MIDNÁTTARSANG (“midnight song”) is the other side of the same coin as døgurðaslang (“lunch nap”). Both sides’ theme is based around food, where MIDNÁTTARSANG is the more evil and serious side of the whole experience and døgurðaslang is the more playful side.
The name of this EP comes from the gathering of a few thousand people on our national holiday, Ólavsøka, to sing sing-along songs. We also eat a lot of food and party on Ólavsøka.
Fun fact: on our vinyl pressing of the EPs, we haven’t labelled any side as A or B, so it works both ways – if you need a nap before going out to party or you might need it the day after
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Ayphin: Music means a lot, man. It gets me through the toughest times and is the base in the best times. And there is music in every form of entertainment. There is music in silence. There is music in the loudest places. You can listen to music while doing anything, everything and nothing. This might be the most pretentious stuff I’ve ever written, but it also feels truthful.
OSR: What do you hope people take from your music?
Ayphin: Most of all we hope people take playfulness from our music. We’re mainly playing with words and samples and performance. We have fun making the music and hopefully, people have fun listening to it.
OSR: Random questions: What is something you thought would be a great idea but was terrible when you actually did it?
Ayphin: One time we played one of our most intense songs called ‘POSAR UNDIR EYGUNUM’ (bags under the eyes) early in the set. We wanted to start with a bang and fire the audience up early on. It’s a bluesy, noisy song that is bananas at the end of the song, and it demands a lot of our voices. Needless to say, I went too “all-in”, and basically had no voice for the rest of the concert. But the audience loved it 😄. But we didn’t think that one through.
OSR: What makes AGGRASOPPAR unique?
Ayphin: We are unique in a way as everyone in the Faroe Islands is unique. We’re building a discourse with audiences in a unique way, so it doesn’t matter if they don’t understand our language. Sóljudrongur made a guy cry tears of joy, without him actually understanding our mother tongue, and that is what we are all about.
OSR: If you knew the winning lottery numbers, would you keep them to yourself or share them with others?
Ayphin: I’d like to think that I would share the numbers. Especially to my dearest friends and family with the “trust me” gaze in my eyes. I owe way too many good people good deeds. And I’d want my friends to give me the numbers as well 😄
OSR: What can we expect from AGGRASOPPAR in the future?
Ayphin: You can expect more new music further down the line. We have some ideas which I will not display here, you just have to trust me. We also hope to go abroad more often, as it is always a blast to see the first impressions of every individual.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Ayphin: Don’t be an asshole, be polite, take your vitamins, listen more than you’re talking, observe and free Palestine.
Many thanks to Alyphin for speaking with us! Find out more about AGGRASOPPAR on their official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Listen to more trip-hop tunes on The Other Side Reviews Trip-Hop playlist:
