Eydís Evensen - Frost (2022) Hi Res

Eydís Evensen has always taken inspiration from the stunning nature and climate of Iceland – the first song she wrote, aged 7, was inspired by a storm. And while her mesmerizing debut album Bylur was a calming contemporary classical diary of her life to date – “So many ups and downs. All of my joy, darkness, happiness, heartbreak and melancholia”, is how she described it – new EP Frost is inspired by a more literal journey; through one of her homeland’s winters. “It’s such a hard thing to go through, this darkness,” she explains, “but the rising of the sun earlier and earlier as spring nears is hugely important for Icelanders.”

Hence Frost’s very deliberate track listing, and thematic shifts in mood and tone. Opener ‘Numb’ represents fragility, and the onset of winter. Soft, crystalline piano lines gently deepen into something a little darker, a little more melancholic – reflective of one’s state of mind when faced by the long months ahead. ‘Svartnætti’ – a word that describes the darkest nights of winter – has a gloomier, more dramatic edge, helped along by expressive synth textures and mournful strings.

‘Dawn Is Near’ is altogether brighter, and a little quicker; the strings, together with ascending piano lines, strike a hopeful note, optimistic even, mirroring the warmth that starts to creep in as the days lengthen. Closer ‘The Light I’, a sparse, minimalist wonder, leads us into spring, and the return of life to the land. Uplifting and assured, the notes shimmer like sunlight spreading across a frosted landscape, quiet pauses adding to the beauty.

But there’s also a wider metaphor behind Frost, one keenly felt by Evensen; the turmoil of the last two years. “It’s like a journey through darker moments, but seeing that there is light at the end of the tunnel,” she explains. “It’s very representative of what we’ve all gone through, and a renewed sense of hope.” No coincidence that ‘The Light I’ is the most recently composed piece then, written and recorded as positivity – and something approaching normality – slowly started to return. It is, says Evensen, the “perfect representation of hope that this year, things will be better.”

Mining deep, heartfelt emotions – whether her own, or those we collectively share – has always provided inspiration for her work, and Frost is no exception. Few combine such beauty and elegance with such universal themes, and Frost stands as the latest step in the exciting development of Eydís Evensen.