Photo by Sigga Ella

Who is it?

Icelandic five-piece OYAMA, who recently became one of the many bands to feel the sharp end of sludge-brained oaf Trump’s travel ban when their singer Júlía Hermannsdóttir was banned from entering from entering the US for their recent tour. In happier news the band, who released their debut album Coolboy back in 2016, are back with a brand new single, Handsome Devil.

Why should you listen to it?

OYAMA were always special for the way they mixed airy atmospherics and guitar growl, and that style holds up on Handsome Devil. It’s a song that plays with tension, ramping it up and drawing it loose again. Hermannsdóttir’s vocal sits on a bed of raw guitar swirl and a fuzzcloud of different effects, and it all builds up in a crashing crescendo. Not many bands have that ability to create a world inside a song; OYAMA definitely do.

What’s next?

No announcements yet, but let’s hope more new music is on the way.


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OYAMA