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It’s hard to appreciate as an American how vast the United States, with its wide-open expanses and nearly endless drives, must feel to someone from a small European country. Ásgeir Trausti Einarsson is from Iceland, and he’s speaking over Zoom from Albuquerque, N.M., a city with a larger population than his home country, located in a state three times its area.
Einarsson records mononymously as Ásgeir. And while he might not be a familiar name to most Americans, it’s estimated that 1 in 10 Icelanders own a copy of Ásgeir’s debut, Dýrð í dauðaþögn, released in 2012 just two months after his 20th birthday.
His stateside cult was established the following year with the release of In the Silence, an English-language version of his debut with translations by John Grant, the polyglottal, hirsute former Czars singer who’s lived in Reykjavík for years. “Great guy with a really big vocabulary,” Ásgeir says of Grant.
Ásgeir is in the middle of his first American tour since before the pandemic, which will include a stop June 18 at Mississippi Studios with support from Trinity Jane. The artist is no stranger to the Northwest; in fact, his last public performance before the world closed down was on March 8, 2020, in Seattle.
“We were in the States when it was getting worse and worse,” he says. “People stopped showing up to the shows, so we left and went home and we thought we would come back in a few weeks. Touring has picked up slowly for me. I just got a new booking agent last year over here, so I could finally make it happen. I’m really happy to be here.”
Even in the small but internationally eminent Icelandic music industry, Ásgeir’s music is a clear standout. It’s atmospheric and agreeable, a sort of digital folk rock with soft-as-snow drum machines and multitracked falsetto vocals, like a less glitched-out Bon Iver. Since 2013, he’s recorded for the indie label One Little Independent, making him labelmates with Iceland’s most famous musical export, the great pop eccentric Björk.
For many years, Ásgeir’s lyrics were written primarily by his father, the poet Einar Georg Einarsson. In fact, his new album, Julia, released in February, is the first he’s written entirely by himself.
“I’m still finding my voice writing lyrics,” he says. “I’ve been writing music since I was 7 or 8, but this is something I’m still kind of navigating a little bit. I think the main thing is just being able to be vulnerable and open up, which is not as easy as one would think.”
Threaded together by a loose concept involving a spirit-muse character named Julia, the 10-track album features some of his most personal lyrics and his most painterly arrangements, recorded in tandem with longtime producer Guðmundur Kristinn Jónsson. He’s been listening to Canadian pedal steel virtuoso Daniel Lanois’ Belladonna a lot, and the countrified tint to some of these songs reflects this inspiration.
Notably, the songs on Julia are written and recorded entirely in English. “It might have something to do with the fact that I have a bit of a distance with that language,” Ásgeir says. “I don’t feel as vulnerable. It’s easier to be open and get things on paper.”
Ásgeir is quick to identify himself as an introvert, which was a mixed blessing growing up in tiny Laugarbakki, a town a few hours’ drive north of Reykjavík whose population has yet to break 100 souls. The wide-open spaces of the States, then, are the perfect arena for this openhearted music.
“I come from a small country, but I come from a much smaller village in the countryside, so I’m used to just knowing everybody,” Ásgeir says. “It’s easier to open up when you don’t feel like everyone knows you.”
SEE IT: Ásgeir at Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 503-288-3895, mississippistudios.com. 7 pm Thursday, June 18. $32.36. 21+.
