JÓHANN EGILL

RAF Out Now — press play below to hear the full arc of the record.

The album builds on the lucid, synth-forward textures of Jóhann Egill's earlier work while bringing his Icelandic vocals to the forefront. Each track is threaded with the same restless pulse he has been developing since his teenage band was voted the people's favorite in the Vísir interviews, now sharpened by years of solo production.

This is the artist's second full-length record, following Lucid Dreaming Moments, which came out in March 2024.

RAF folds together introspective instrumentals, dancefloor-minded cuts like "Lífsmynd," and the kind of narrative songwriting that has defined his live sets at festivals such as Menningarhátíð Seltjarnarness. The sequence is meant to be heard in one sitting: start with the collection on the left, then dive into the companion album on the right for the alternate takes and club edits that kept the project evolving.

JÓHANN EGILL

RAF is Jóhann Egill's second full-length solo release and it arrives as the culmination of years spent writing, arranging, and producing music on his own terms. He performs and records every part of the nine-track album and collaborates only on the final vocal recording, mixing, and mastering with producer Oddur Þórisson. The blend of three instrumental tracks and six Icelandic vocal pieces lets him move between introspective moods and bigger, communal energy without losing the thread of a single vision.

Recent interviews describe how early reactions to the RAF singles went far beyond his expectations, pushing songs like "Lífsmynd" onto national radio rotations and giving him momentum to expand the live show. Vísir's coverage also revisited Jóhann's teenage years, when his band was voted the people's choice at just thirteen, underlining how long he has been navigating Iceland's music community.

Alongside the studio work, Jóhann has been taking the new material onto festival stages such as the Seltjarnarnes Menningarhátíð, where his synthesiser-driven set leans into the club rhythms while keeping the storytelling of the lyrics front and centre. RAF is meant to be heard in motion: in headphones on a Reykjavík night walk just as much as in a crowded room.

WELCOME TO RAF

The music on RAF blends dance music and melodic techno. Jóhann Egill performs using synthesisers such as the Prophet 10, Oberheim OB-X8, and Prophet Rev2, along with drum machines and computers. RAF maintains a clear thematic thread throughout.

The Icelandic lyrics reflect on personal transformation, the energy of the surrounding environment, and gratitude for the people who enter and leave our lives.

Across the nine tracks, Jóhann leans into lucid dreaming as a framing device: moments when a feeling, an image, or a drum pattern snaps into focus and guides the story forward. He talks in interviews about how Iceland's coastline and volcanic light seep into the melodies, and how the album's three instrumental passages act like breathing spaces between more intimate vocal pieces. The concept stays grounded in movement—night walks in Reykjavík, long drives around the peninsula, and the way electronics can mirror the pulse of those landscapes.

RAF IN MOTION: SINGLES AND VISUALS

Three tracks from the album have already been released as singles. The track Lífsmynd attracted particular attention, reaching the Top 10 on the Rás2 radio charts and remaining on the station's A-list rotation for several weeks last summer.

The videos and live clips extend the RAF storyline: the city lights of Reykjavík flickering through synth arpeggios, dancers tracing the rhythms on stage during Seltjarnarnes Menningarhátíð, and close-ups that highlight the analog instruments driving the set. Each single forms a chapter—first as a radio-ready hook, then as a visual loop that underscores the album's balance between club energy and reflective lyrics.

Jóhann describes the release pace as a way to keep the album breathing. Each new single pulls a different thread: some spotlight the gratitude woven into the Icelandic verses, others lean into the darker textures of the synth work. Live, the transitions between these tracks become a narrative in their own right, letting audiences feel RAF as a journey rather than a static playlist.