Sóley (Sóley Stefánsdóttir) is an Icelandic singer, pianist and member of Seabear. Born in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland, Sóley has been wowing audiences around the globe with her dark, fairytale song craft since 2010. After the “Theater Island” EP (2010) announced her as a solo musician, the fantastical, sepia-toned alt-pop tunes of debut full-length “We Sink” (2011) won her a massive, devoted fanbase: Often praised for her delicate take on composition, her songs’ “dream-like” qualities and “dark surrealism”, a track like “Pretty Face” has gained over 17 million YouTube views since its release. Having studied piano and later composition at the Icelandic Art Academy, Sóley Stefánsdóttir, who was formerly a member of the band Seabear, released a short EP entitled “Krómantík” in 2014, comprised of piano works originally composed for various theater/film productions, and is now about to return with her sophomore album „Ask The Deep“ in early 2015. Still drawn to dark, nocturnal themes,„Ask The Deep“ sees the bespectacled multi-instrumentalist branch out musically, both charting new sonic territory – and fighting the devil inside. Often inspired by poetry, Sóley’s tunes are the musical equivalent to dark fairytales, lucid dreams and childhood nightmares.
Referring to the silence that returns when last year’s “Krómantík” EP fades out, Sóley said, “… your closed eyes slowly start seeing something much deeper and darker,” and now that something is here, it’s right in front of us: “Ask The Deep” is a stunningly dark and deeply personal departure after the minimalist and bleak piano compositions of said EP: Relying on guts, ghost ships, and a sonic map that doesn’t show the same piano coordinates as before, her soft-sounding voice leads us deeper and deeper into the shadowy fairytale worlds only hinted at on previous releases such as her “Theater Island” EP and 2011’s much-praised “We Sink” debut album. Changing tactics to fight her inner demon with every track, “Ask The Deep” sees the bespectacled songwriter open Pandora’s box – and close it eventually. At least for now.
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