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Kaktus Einarsson has led a remarkable musical life. Born and raised in Reykjavík, he was playing as part of experimental electronic act Ghostigital at the tender age of 10. In his post-punk outfit Fufanu, he opened hometown shows for Radiohead and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. The band also supported Blur in Hyde Park, and stormed the festival circuit, appearing at the likes of Primavera Sound, Rock Werchter, Musilac and Down The Rabbit Hole. His debut solo album ‘Kick The Ladder’ was released in 2021, and later remixed by the likes of JFDR, Modular Project and Brandt Brauer Frick.
2024’s ‘Lobster Coda’ incorporated dreamy, glistening synth-pop and melancholic ambience, created through layers of atmospheric keys, percussion, and groove-laden funk bass. Kaktus used it to detail his journey following a stress-induced nonepileptic seizure that halted his brain’s ability to communicate with the rest of his body, resulting in losing control of his legs, arms and causing involuntary facial tics. The record won Album Artwork of the Year at the Iceland Music Awards where Kaktus performed and was joined on stage by Nanna and Damon Albarn, who appeared on the original version of ‘Gumbri’.
The result is an intimate, melodic record with an expansive and experimental sound. The album also sees Kaktus evolve as a vocalist and lyricist, and expresses his outlook on a range of topics from interpersonal relationships to happiness, grief, and current events. “Every song on this album is a love letter to my environment, and my surroundings,” he says. “Some of the songs might be written to nature, and what is happening to our planet. Others are a dialogue between two people.”
‘Kick the Ladder’ was produced by Kaktus, alongside Swiss electronic composer Kurt Uenala, with whom he finished the record in New York City. ‘Daydream Echo’ builds on the words of an NYC street preacher. “They were standing in the same place every day, shouting about how we’re all going to die, and how we’re going on a ride,” says Kaktus. “A few weeks later, the world was in chaos. What if this New York lunatic was just more advanced than us, and we are the crazy ones?”
