Alternative Country from Torfevas

Based in Reykjavík, Torfevas is an indie art folk project where family, friendship and songwriting are intrinsically linked. The band brings together Þórarinn Torfi, his wife Eva Símonardóttir and Eva’s cousin Egill Arnarson, creating music influenced by a shared history and an understanding of one another. Their songs combine intimate storytelling, warm vocal harmonies and cinematic instrumentation, resulting in a sound that feels personal while remaining open for listeners around the world.

Since arriving under the Torfevas name in 2022 with the debut single “Tölum um þunglyndið,” the family collaboration has developed through a well-received run of singles, an EP and their first full-length record, Snjóarumvor. Yet if the project’s music is often concerned with the passage of time, its latest single takes that idea particularly literally; “Last Rodeo” is a song that spent roughly twenty five years waiting to be heard. Its origins stretch back to a period when Þórarinn, Eva and Egill would spend time together discussing life, its difficulties and the experiences that shape us.

Those conversations eventually began to take musical form when Egill wrote the lyrics, Eva created the melody and Þórarinn brought the various elements together into a completed composition, then, despite being finished, the song remained untouched. For most artists, a quarter of a century between writing and recording might seem like an extraordinary delay but for Torfevas, it’s become part of the song’s story. Some ideas arrive fully formed and demand an immediate place in the world, while others seem content to wait until the right moment appears and “Last Rodeo” belongs firmly to the latter category.

When the family returned to the material years later, they recognised something that had survived the passage of time and they decided it was finally time to bring it into the studio. The resulting recording is reflective and melody-focused, stitching warmth and emotional context through an understated arrangement which creates space for the lyrics to remain at the centre. Þórarinn produced and arranged the track, while Eva performed all of the vocals, constructing the harmonies herself through multiple layers of recorded voices.

Brought in by the intricate plucks of twanging guitar and flutter of string, overlapping vocal layers glide in as the arrangement slips into a grooving alternative country scene. With Eva’s expressive voice ringing about above the steady taps of drums and pulse of bass, she spins instantly memorable melodies carrying storytelling lyricism to form a timeless musical experience that’s memorable and highly transportive from start to finish. Propelled by the punch of drums and crunch of guitar, bright instrumental flourishes flicker above to add dashes of smokey texture, resulting in an engrossing country outing that’s sure to charm new and existing listeners alike.

Putting their songwriting talent and performance flair on full display, “Last Rodeo” sees Torfevas bring to life an enduring composition in spectacular fashion. By not attempting to recreate the moment in which the song was originally written, they’ve allowed it to exist in the present, shaped by everything that happened between then and now and perhaps that’s what makes “Last Rodeo” such a fitting addition to the Torfevas catalogue. It’s a song about time that has itself travelled through time, finally arriving with the same people who first imagined it and twenty five years later, the idea has become a recording, the recording has become a story and the story is finally ready to be shared.

Listen to Last Rodeo below

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