5 Q&A With Ágúst þengill Atlason
What was the initial spark or idea that led to the creation of 'Unhappy Unwell?'
I was creating a lot of different music with varying sounds and genres but the thing that they all shared was the feeling of unhappiness, A general dissatisfaction and it resulted in an album that's kind of every facet of my mind at the time.
Can you talk about the recording and production process for 'Unhappy Unwell?'
Every song was recorded and produced in my own bedroom with the sound padding being my TV pushed beside me and a blanket being put over it lol. Most of the music is completely just made by me but there are also notable samples like "Rest Awake" samples from Ashitaka And San (from Princess Mononoke) around half the album comprises samples but they're always made in a way where it's evolved into something totally different from the original sample.
What is your personal favorite song from 'Unhappy Unwell' and why?
That's a difficult question because I have multiple favorite songs for different reasons. “Lost Memory” would probably have to be my overall favorite for just the production quality, vocal performance and overall feeling it gives. while Blue Iris is my proudest lyrical work to date.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started in music?
My name is August, I'm 18 currently, living in Iceland and I just absolutely love making music! I started making music at 14 after going through my first heartbreak, I had tried making some songs on the guitar using Audacity and FL Studio here and there but nothing really came of it, nothing good at least. Until one day I was at a music instrument and equipment store with my grandma when I noticed a Beatpad and when my grandma asked me about it I said "It's really cool, I would love to get one of these someday" and at that moment, she just bought it for me, I didn't ask her to do so, she just did it and that small act of kindness changed my life forever because once I got home I hooked up the beat pad to my computer and with the beat pad came a DAW called "Studio One" Which is the DAW I've been using ever since and it's responsible for me being able to create all the music I create today. Since that day I've been creating songs, beats, soundtracks, etc. every single day. It's something I do in my free time, something I do when I'm too sad to even eat, it's my biggest passion.
What role do you feel emotions play in your music, and how do you channel them into your performances?
My emotions are difficult for me to interpret most of the time. I feel as though music helps me translate my feelings and it's my best and most effective outlet. Although not every song of mine is a true story about something I was going through at that time. Sometimes songs are based on a feeling I've had but exaggerated or sometimes it's based on other people who I care about and I write about what their story made me feel. I remember the most vivid moment when I channeled my feelings into my music was for a song that hasn't been released yet. I had just been on the best date of my life and I was excited about a second date but it never happened and I was devastated, more than usual. I felt heartbroken for the first time in a long time and for a while I was very noticeably depressed but surprisingly, so surprisingly in fact that I was surprised myself. When there was nothing I wanted to do, nothing that made me happy, the only thing I could do was pick up my guitar and make music on it, All I did for a while was just lay in bed and create music on my guitar about how I felt and it really really helped. I ended up turning one of those songs into a track that will be on my next album, or it might be a single, who knows but it's definitely getting released and when it does you'll probably be able to tell haha.