Artist
Kælan Mikla
Reykjavík, Iceland • Formed 2013
Kælan Mikla is a music group from Reykjavík, Iceland, active since 2013. Their discography on Gatefold includes 4 records.
4
Albums tracked
8
In collections
2013
Since
Biography
Kælan Mikla (lit. 'Lady of the Cold') is an Icelandic post-punk band, formed in 2013 in Reykjavík. The trio consists of lead vocalist Laufey Soffía Þórsdóttir, bassist Margrét Rósa Dóru-Harrysdóttir and keyboardist Sólveig Matthildur Kristjánsdóttir. Kælan mikla was born almost by accident, at a poetry slam contest in school six years ago. They play freezing cold Dark Wave and have been reaching a growing audience outside Iceland, touring and playing festivals around Europe.
The Arc of Kælan Mikla
The pivots — what forced Kælan Mikla to reinvent.
The Raw Poetry Slam Beginnings
Before the synths arrived, the band was a primal post-punk outfit defined by Margrét Rósa’s heavy bass and live drums. These sessions were captured on the Glimmer og Aska and Mánadans recordings, which sat shelved for years while the band’s sound evolved. You can hear the lack of electronics forcing them to rely on pure vocal screaming and rhythmic tension. It’s the sound of a band figuring out how to be scary with nothing but a four-string and a floor tom.
The Coldwave Shift
The pivot happened when Sólveig moved behind the keys and the band embraced the hardware-sequenced chill of the Fabrika Records aesthetic. This era culminated in the 2016 self-titled LP, where the jagged edges of their punk roots were smoothed into dark, shimmering synth lines. The move to digital percussion and echoing pads gave Laufey Soffía’s vocals room to breathe, turning their sound into something more cinematic and professional. This is where they stopped being a local curiosity and started sounding like the heirs to the 4AD throne.
The Cinematic Folklore Expansion
Working with Barði Jóhannsson for Undir köldum norðurljósum blew the doors off their previously minimalist production style. They brought in guest spots like Alcest’s Neige and started leaning into the high-drama folklore of Iceland rather than just the grit of the city. The result was a thicker, more layered sound that prioritized melody over the old industrial clatter. It’s the most polished they’ve ever been, trading the basement filth for a wide-screen, orchestral sense of doom.
Influences
- The Cure — Robert Smith personally hand-picked them for the 25th anniversary of Meltdown after hearing their early tapes. You hear it in the way Margrét Rósa plays her bass high on the neck, mirroring Simon Gallup’s melodic lead-bass style. It’s the foundational DNA for their entire sense of gloom.
- Cocteau Twins — Laufey Soffía has cited Elizabeth Fraser as a primary vocal influence for the shift toward ethereal, non-linguistic vocal textures. The heavy use of modulated reverb and delay on the vocals from 2018 onwards is a direct nod to the Treasure-era production style. It turned their screams into haunting atmosphere.
- Siouxsie and the Banshees — The band has covered 'Israel' live, and the influence is all over their rhythmic approach. The interplay between the driving, tribal percussion and the shrieking vocal delivery on their 2016 debut is a dead ringer for the Juju period. They took the Banshees' gothic punk and froze it solid.
- Joy Division — The skeletal, isolated production of Martin Hannett is the blueprint for their early demo tracks. The way the bass is left completely exposed and treated as the lead instrument is straight out of the Peter Hook playbook. It’s the sound of urban decay translated to an Icelandic winter.
- Dead Can Dance — Sólveig Matthildur has pointed to the medieval and liturgical atmospheres of early 4AD as a major touchstone for their later work. You can hear this in the ritualistic, chant-like vocal arrangements on Undir köldum norðurljósum. They traded the club beats for something that sounds like an ancient ceremony.
Discography
Their records — most-collected first.
Related artists
Around the web
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