Hello, can you share the story behind the formation of Warmland and shed some light on how the duo came together?
The idea of forming Warmland came at a bar on the 118th floor of The Ritz-Carlton hotel in Hong kong. We had been touring China with another Icelandic band as session players and thought we should try to work together on a new project. We also shared a recording/studio space in Reykjavík at the time so we started doing sessions in the evenings and soon realized that we had very similar ideas of the direction we wanted to go.
What inspired the name “Warmland” for your band?
Warmland sounds like the place to be. Not too cold, not too hot. Mixture of harshness and softness. The blend of analog and digital, future and past.
How would you describe the musical style and genre that you explore in your music?
We are a genre-bending band as we don’t want to be too confined to a specific theme or style. If we had to name a style it would be “Warmland style”. We believe (or at least hope) that we do have a sound of our own.
How do you collaborate and navigate the creative process when working on new music as a duo?
The creative process is divided equally between the two of us. We pitch ideas to each other in various stages and the other half picks up on it and takes it further. From there on it’s a joint venture, going back and forth until we have a finished product. We have become pretty good at guessing what the other half is thinking, it’s a matter of feeling each other out.
Can you share some insights into the creative process behind your latest album “Modular Heart”?
We usually start writing separately and record the foundations of the songs. When we have something we like the session goes to the other Warmland member and he starts adding to the song. Next step is to do sessions together where we do the final production. Sometimes we also meet and work on lyrics together. When the song is ready Arnar does the mixing. We also do most of our visuals ourselves. Both music videos and visuals for the live shows. For Modular heart we did 5 music videos. They are all on Youtube.
Specifically, focusing on the single “Can Says,”can you share the story behind the creation?
Can Says is a bit of a Frankenstein. We pulled some sections from a song idea that one of us had and spliced it with another idea that the other one had, so it was a full collaboration. Usually we pitch ideas to each other where the structure is almost complete but in this case it was a tapestry of different parts.
Can you share any interesting anecdotes or stories from the recording or production phase of “Can Says”?
We did a joint session for the lyrics of Can Says and used a similar approach like Bowie and other masters did for their lyrics which is the cut-up technique. We would write down paragraphs with different subjects, “cut them” up and create a story. Sometimes you subconsciously are creating a narrative although it feels disjointed during the process, then when you see the finished process it makes sense.
How do you feel your musical style has evolved since the release of your earlier works?
It’s been a gradual step towards getting to our signature sound and we are more…. We feel (and hope) that when you hear a Warmland track you will recognise it.
How do you navigate the challenges of being a duo in the music industry, and what advantages do you think it brings to your creative process?
There are many advantages that come with being a duo. Decision making is easy with only two votes and the creative part is extremely pleasant. We both come from five piece bands and that can be quite exhausting to deal with everyone so the creative and practical balance is working between band members.
Can you share any plans or projects that Warmland has in the pipeline for the near future?
At the moment we are working on our third full album. The process is going well and we’re hoping to have an album ready in the middle of the year. We’re also looking into doing some touring soon.
