Icelandic composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Snorri Hallgrímsson has announced On the Importance of Birds, the follow-up to his debut Deutsche Grammophon release Longer Shadows, Softer Stones. The new EP serves as a quiet reflection on the fragility of life, and the way our relationships shift and reshape as time moves on.
“I don’t see any noteworthy birds across the lake,” Hallgrímsson’s father once noted during a birdwatching trip, “I knew exactly what he meant,” Snorri recalls, “and then immediately felt guilty towards the poor mallards and gulls we didn’t deem noteworthy enough.” The story captures much of the EP’s spirit: on the surface taking pleasure in nature and shared interests with loved ones, but at the same time reflecting on how and why certain events, memories and relationships shape us as people as we move through life.
Snorri continues: “The first piece of music specifically written for this EP was Burning Little, Long and Slow. I’d had a particularly rough day. My mother tells me that when I was upset as a child, I’d go to my room, close the door, and start playing the guitar. This time, it was the piano: an overly dramatic opening chord, followed by a cascading, snowballing melody appeared without a thought. You can hear hints of that same melody elsewhere on the EP.”
The recordings feature string players from Iceland, alongside the Budapest Art Orchestra conducted by Péter Pejtsik. Across seven new pieces, Hallgrímsson blends gently shifting electronics, soft-focus strings and introspective piano lines - music that feels as much like listening as remembering.
On the Importance of Birds will be released digitally and on vinyl on 12 September 2025. Listen to the first single Not Nowhere Again, Kinder and Pre-order the album here.
