Retro Stefson

Retro Stefson rose from Reykjavik to rank among Iceland’s leading acts of the early twenty-first century. In 2006 the brothers Unnsteinn and Logi Stefánsson teamed with schoolmates Þórður Jörundsson, Jon Seljeseth, Þorbjörg Gunnarsdóttir, Haraldur Stefánsson, and Gylfi Sigurðsson to form the group and secure a slot in a local youth talent competition. Their debut album, Montana, arrived in 2008 as an indie-pop collection tinted with disco and tropical elements. That same year the band performed at the Iceland Airwaves festival, quickly establishing recognition throughout their native country. Kimbabwe, the follow-up, surfaced in 2010 via Kimi Records at home and Vertigo Records across Europe; the atypical pop set wove surf rock, Latin, and Afro-funk threads into the group’s palette and featured the singles “Kimba” and “Mama Angola.” International attention greeted the self-titled third album, whose tracks “Glow,” “She Said,” and “Queen” each ascended to the top of the Icelandic singles charts. On that release the ensemble expanded its sonic range through denser layers of synthesizers and electronics alongside meticulously refined production values.