Releasing his first solo single “Birds” in January 2020, Daníel mixes a slow doom rock sound with the mourning new-age melodies. In “Tabula Rasa”, Daníel brings a chilly edge to the genre with poetic verses that bring to mind the Finnish band Poets of the Fall. It’s like Depeche Mode taking a spin on Low Roar, with Daníel’s smooth, slow vocals intercepting a neo-goth beat, layered guitar riffs, and a haunting mood that sucks the listener deep into the dark recesses of the Icelandic Lake Tjornin. A song that sounds like drowning inside oneself, digging deeper through a dark inner world of truth, fear, and fantasy.
Daníel’s lyrics are poetic, intense, and doused in mystery. Not only is his background singing in children’s choirs (The Weeknd, anybody?) obvious through his careful choice of lyrics and his haunted Leonard Cohen-like vocals, but also how his history of mixing sounds (demons in his bedroom) is prominently bold and influential, fluidly bending genres and defying expectant ears. With a highly anticipated promotional tour of his LP in 2022, Daníel Hjálmtýsson will take the post-pandemic music world by storm. “Tabula Rasa” is a small preview to the beasts in store, listeners just have to tune in, wait, and listen…
