Irina Shtreis

United Kingdom

Music Writer at The Quietus

Music Writer at Freelance

Music journalist, aspiring researcher, musician.

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Articles

From Iceland - This Bus Is On A Diversion: BSÍ's Defiant EP Progress

1 week ago | grapevine.is | Irina Shtreis

Disobedient duo BSÍ talk about their new EP triptych, DIY culture and living in the momentThe music of the Reykjavík-based duo BSÍ seems to draw from contrasting realms. In a yin-yang fashion, Sigurlaug ‘Silla’ Thorarensen and Julius Pollux Rothlaender combine various moods and thoughts that define their day-to-day life. The band’s 2021 double EP Sometimes Depressed, and But Always Anti-Fascist is a testament to the moody nature of their creative oeuvre.
From Iceland - Man-made Mechanical Wilderness: Supergroup Osmium Releases Eponymous Debut

1 week ago | grapevine.is | Irina Shtreis

The latest project featuring Icelandic composer and Academy Award winner Hildur Guðnadóttir, experimental group Osmium self-titled debut is out June 20. Imagine entering the jungle. Dark, suffused with the heavy humidity of the passing monsoon. Outlines of palm trees conjure up ghosts from ancient times or a prehistoric life form that disobeys identification. Menacing and overwhelming, it exudes the vital energy of survival.
Pulp @ O2, London, UK, June 14, 2025

1 week ago | undertheradarmag.com | Irina Shtreis

Web Exclusive One of the Pulp-related YouTube findings is the 1985 monochrome footage from the band’s show at Gotham City Club in Chesterfield. “We were hoping to impress you with our professional attitude tonight but I don’t think we are going to”, says 22-year-old Jarvis Cocker, visibly unhappy with the sound and other technicalities. As he questions the levels of reverb on the stage, the audience seems preoccupied with other mundane issues.
From Iceland - In The Mood For Experiments

1 month ago | grapevine.is | Irina Shtreis

Young punks Geðbrigði talk their Músíktilraunir winIn early April, the final night of Músíktilraunir (Icelandic Music Experiments) brought forth a winner, following four nights of semi-finals. Four-piece pungarokk collective Geðbrigði won first place, followed by the second and third places given to J. Bear & The Cubs and Big Band Eyþórs, respectively. Platforming burgeoning artists, the battle-of-the-bands-esque competition highlights the next breakout act.
Tallinn Music Week Tallinn, Estonia, April 3-6, 2025

2 months ago | undertheradarmag.com | Irina Shtreis

Web Exclusive In the dark space of D-3, formerly a rail car depot converted into a music venue, the upfront electronic beat conjures up Jimi Tenor’s dancefloor hit “Take Me Baby”. The sonic narrative, however, diverts to a folky territory when the flutes take over. Two young Estonian flute players Kärt Pihlap & Katariina Tirmaste call their project Kuula Hetke, which translates as “listen to the moment”.
From Iceland - Spacestation Live Review: Nothing But Stomps And Chants

2 months ago | grapevine.is | Irina Shtreis

Tuning Into A Local StationOver the last couple of years, Spacestation transformed from a jingle-jangle unit with stylishly scruffy outfits to one of the coolest bands in town. Their debut album Reykjavík Syndrome, exploring the quintet’s uneasy relationship with their place of residence, was recently listed as the record of the week on Rás 2.
From Iceland - HAMPARAT Live Review: "A Yellow Weather Alert Experience"

Mar 24, 2025 | grapevine.is | Irina Shtreis

On March 21, heavy metal band HAM teamed up with the synthesiser-based group Apparat Organ Quartet for a once-in-a-lifetime performance dubbed HAMPARAT. This is what it felt like. A female voice semi-whispers through the layers of white noise sounds as if it were reciting metaphysical poetry. Sat in the darkness of the grand Eldborg hall in Harpa, the audience is treated to an early 20th-century recording featuring an Icelandic psychic communicating to spirits during a seance.
From Iceland - Machine Gun Etiquette

Mar 16, 2025 | grapevine.is | Irina Shtreis

Trailblazers HAM and Apparat Organ Quartet Melt Into HAMPARATOn March 21, members of HAM and Apparat Organ Quartet join forces as Iceland’s newest supergroup: HAMPARAT. When two cult collectives unite, the effect might be akin to a suddenly occurring natural phenomenon. Iceland cannot be easily surprised by eruptions or the Northern Lights, but creative partnerships and projects are some things that will always arouse curiosity and a sense of wonder among the locals.
From Iceland - A Journey Through The Steam

Feb 17, 2025 | grapevine.is | Irina Shtreis

Icelandic composers Benni Hemm Hemm and Bára Gísladóttir explore death on their collaborative album Gufa. Sometimes the most idiosyncratic and intense Icelandic music comes out of sudden collaborations. Both Benni Hemm Hemm and Bára Gísladóttir have respectively rich scopes of work, and though they are not miles away from one another musically, Gufa reveals the earlier unseen (or unheard, if you wish) facets of their sonic worlds. With his capacity for impeccable harmonies, Benedikt H.
Dungen @ Northern Winter Beat, Aalborg, Denmark, February 8, 2025

Feb 16, 2025 | undertheradarmag.com | Irina Shtreis

Web Exclusive The lyrics of “Nattens Sista Strimma Ljus”, one of the songs from Dungen’s 2022 album En Är För Mycket och Tusen Aldrig Nog, metaphorically address drug and alcohol addiction: “Here is the night’s last streak of light / Do you still feel like taking it one more time?”. In keeping with the lines that conjure up scenes of ecstatic drinking from Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round, the guitar riffs swell up and drums roller-coaster on.