Album Review

Retro Stefson – Retro Stefson

• 13th Mar 2013

From Sigur Rós to Björk and Of Monsters and Men, Iceland sure knows a thing or two about delivering fresh and exciting music. Meet ‘Retro Stefson’, an alternative six piece electro-pop group who’ve just released their third self titled album. ‘Retro Stefson’ serves as the follow up to ‘Montana’ and ‘Kimbabwe’ and is an eclectic mix of electro, pop, funk and rock.

The slick electro production is so unique and refreshing, from the bouncy synths in ‘Qween’ and ‘Miss Nobody’ to the extremely catchy ‘Glow’, bringing the recent Katy B’s ‘Aaliyah’ to mind. There’s a nice change of pace throughout the album, offering an ambient and hypnotic sense of calm, such as ‘Solaris’ with it’s looped echoey vocals and running piano lines, to ‘Fall’ with its seductive beats and layered vocals. Filled with plenty of groovy rhythms such as ‘(O) Kami’, with its funk guitars and psychedelic soul, to the driving funky bass lines of ‘She Said’ and ‘Qween’. The album is infused with retro vibes such as the electro whirring and gameboy style synths of ‘True’. ‘Time’ also highlights this unique retro vibe with its synth stabs and chiptune infused melodies, bringing artists such as ‘Unicorn Kid’ to mind. There’s a refreshing rock element to ‘Miss Nobody’ with a guitar riff you’d expect Muse to drop. Retro Stefson is inspired by a number of different influences and incorporate both African and Latin beats into tracks such as ‘Glow’ and ‘Miss Nobody’, as well as Middle Eastern elements of ‘O Kami’. The group have a real skill for song writing with their extremely catchy and repetitive hooks as heard in ‘Queen’, ‘Glow’ and ‘Julia’.

I can’t help but notice the different influences throughout, from the Moby style layered vocals with hypnotic running piano lines, to the electro chiptune inspired elements and funky psychedelic grooves. It provides for one genre defying album that’s both fun and refreshing. Having been described by Of Monsters Of Men as ‘The best live band in Iceland’, the 6 piece are certainly living up that title, having recently won 3 Icelandic Music Awards (Best Song, Best Video & Best Performance.) The album is set for release March 25th, which coincides with their sold out London show at ‘The Lexington.

Venue: Retro Stefson
Support Band: Self Release