Groupa has inspired a whole generation of Scandinavian musicians with their pioneering spirit and masterful command of their instruments. The next instalment in their album series Kind of Folk clearly demonstrates how this trio continues to reinvent Nordic folk music – this time, with a focus on Iceland. Traditional Icelandic rímur are heard alongside innovative instrumentation and sensitive improvisation.

Iceland has kept its rímur tradition alive and the verse cycles tell epic sagas. They are to be found in worn, well-thumbed old notebooks, or in slim volumes of published collections. The melodies carry the tales. Some take hours to complete. This is Groupa’s journey, their own saga of their trek through rímur territory, fields of lava and bracing winds.

This release follows on Kind of Folk – Vol. 1 Sweden from 2016, which was nominated for a Swedish Grammy, and Vol. 2 Norway from 2018. Icelandic guest musicians grace this production: Bára Grímsdottir – voice, Hilmar Jensson – guitar, and Skúli Sverrisson – bass.

The album is recorded in Cromophone studio in Torna Hellestad, Sweden and with the Icelandic musicicans in the famous Sundlaugin studio in Mosfellbær, Iceland.