Arny Margret Announces Worldwide Tour & Shares New Video “I Miss You, I Do”
Arny Margret, Iceland’s remarkable and poetic upcoming singer-songwriter, released her second album ‘I Miss You, I Do’ with One Little Independent Records in March. The follow-up to 2022’s celebrated, minimalist folk debut ‘they only talk about the weather’ saw her working with new producers in America to develop and hone a sound that’s more textured, expansive, and mature.
She’s now released her intimate new video for single ‘I Miss You, I Do’, directed by Erlendur Sveinsson, alongside worldwide tour dates, including supporting Michigan indie band The Crane Wives in the US and headline shows in the EU and UK. Of the video, Arny tells us; “I made it here in Iceland with Erlendur Sveinsson, who I’ve worked with before. It’s shot on film which also made it a little more special. My friend Miya was visiting me in Iceland at the time and had her with me in the video, she is my long-distance best friend. I loved making this video.”
A truly intimate, powerful and beautiful track. Arny captures this wide array of emotion into this captivating voyage and the delicate notes and ambiance resonate with the striking lyrics.
Album ‘I Miss You, I Do’ incorporates sessions from Arny Margret’s trips to New York City, North Carolina, and Colorado, as well as those recorded in Iceland. During extensive international touring, she wrote prolifically and spent time getting to know producers and musicians who each brought their own unique and individual talents to the project. Arny’s atmospheric and introspective material has been layered with country-inflected full band ensembles, keys, banjo, harmonium, slide guitar and more, adding an ambience that only enhances her natural ability to convey crystal-clear imagery within thematically rich writing.
In pursuit of her creative vision, Arny enlisted producers Josh Kaufman, Andrew Berlin, Brad Cook, and Guðm. “Kiddi” Kristinn Jónsson. Josh Kaufman is best known for his work with Grateful Dead founder Bob Weir, The National, This Is The Kit, Hiss Golden Messenger, Josh Ritter, and The War On Drugs. Andrew Berlin, GRAMMY nominated for his work on Gregory Alan Isakov’s record ‘Evening Machines’, also mixes national punk rock staples such as A Wilhelm Scream, Rise Against, and Teenage Bottlerocket. Brad Cook served as a producer for Bon Iver, Big Red Machine, Waxahatchee, Hand Habits, Kevin Morby, and Whitney amongst others. Arny also returned to Iceland to record with her long-time collaborator and friend Kiddi Jónsson in Reykjavík, Iceland.
“The main thing I wanted for this album was for it to be different”, Arny explains. “When I listen to the last one, I feel like it’s mainly about me and the guitar. It’s very stripped back. I wanted to do more – I love the banjo, the fuller sound, I love the American sound, so recording it all over there made a big difference. I’ve always worked with the same people in the same places, so I never thought I could do this – work with all these people who record with some of my favourite musicians. I really admire everyone on this. And pushing myself out of my comfort zone, that’s quite rewarding”.
Title track ‘I Miss You, I Do’ was recorded with Kaufman in Kingston, New York and was written the night before Arny met him. “I wanted to have a good song to take with me, so I wrote it in my pyjamas in the Airbnb I was staying at before I went to sleep. I think it’s become the song I’m most fond of on the album”. It’s followed by the nostalgic and tender ‘Crooked Teeth’, worked on with Berlin, and “about never feeling noticed. But it’s also about what makes me who I am; I used to have crooked teeth and I have my mother’s eyes. So, it’s about the good and the bad parts that you take with you; it’s about growing up”.
Though ‘I Miss You, I Do’ is reminiscent of the many changing seasons of the US rather than the long winters of her native Iceland, Arny has always recalled those times, often including reference to colder climates in her lyrics, and sonically representing her glacial and isolated hometown. So, as is only fitting for an Arny Margret record, we find an end at ‘Happy New Year’, recorded in Gregory Alan Isakov’s studio in Colorado, which was of particular personal importance to Arny; “I actually met him a tiny bit when we came in, which was cool. He’s probably my biggest musical inspiration, so it was really amazing to be in his studio doing stuff. This one is about Christmas and New Year. New Year’s Eve has never been the best time of year for me, I’ve always felt like it’s a sad and dark time… there’s probably a lot of people out there that can connect to that”.
On ‘I Miss You, I Do’, Arny is supported by many friends that she’s made along the way, but in its entirety it flows as a singular, conceptual piece and is a testament to her exceptional talent. Arny co-produced every song on the album, giving it a throughline, and though the musicality is collected from variety, they all importantly provide backing to a rare voice, one that is as touching as it is honest.
Arny Margret has supported the likes of Leif Vollebekk, Passenger, Wilco, Blake Mills, Ásgeir, and more, as well as playing the likes of SXSW, The Great Escape, Eurosonic, Newport Folk Festival, and Iceland Airwaves. She was nominated for Newcomer of the Year at the Icelandic Music Awards 2022 and won Best New Act at the Iceland Airwaves Plus Awards. In 2023 she was nominated for Song, Album, and Video of the Year at the Icelandic Music Awards, winning Song of the Year. She was also nominated for Newcomer of the Year at the Icelandic People’s Choice Awards. In 2024, she was nominated for Eurosonic’s prestigious MME award, as one of ten emerging artists who reached audiences outside their own countries with their first internationally released album in the past year. She’s performed a live KEXP session and been championed by the likes of The Guardian, The Evening Standard, The Independent, Rolling Stone, NME, The Line Of Best Fit, Clash Magazine, and many more.
Live dates
supporting The Crane Wives*
Jul 10 – Milwaukee, WI, Pabst Theatre*
Jul 11 – Madison, WI, The Sylvee*
Jul 12 – Minneapolis, MN, Palace Theatre*
Jul 14 – Kansas City, MO, Truman*
Jul 15 – Saint Louis, MO, The Pagaent*
Jul 18 – Louisville, KY, Mercury Ballroom*
Jul 19 – Indianapolis, IN, Hi-Fi Annex*
Jul 20 – Indianapolis, IN, Hi-Fi Annex*
Jul 22 – Cincinnati, OH, Bogart’s*
Jul 23 – Columbus, OH, Athenaeum Theatre*
Jul 25 – Detroit, MI, St Andrews*
Jul 26 – Chicago, IL, The Vic*
Nov 15 – Glasgow, UK, McChulls
Nov 16 – Manchester, UK, Yes Basement
Nov 17 – Bristol, UK, The Louisiana
Nov 18 – London, UK, The Lexington
Nov 22 – Paris, FR, Pop Up Du Label
Nov 23 – Utrecht, NL, TivoliVrendenburg
Nov 24 – Hamburg, DE, Nochtwache
Nov 25 – Berlin, DE, Lark
Nov 27 – Lund, SE, Mejeriet
Nov 28 – Oslo, NO, Belleville
Nov 30 – Stockholm, SE, Debaser (Bar Brooklyn)
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