Lindy Vopnfjörd

Winnipeg native and third generation Icelandic Canadian Lindy Vopnfjörd comes by his musical bent naturally; as a child, he toured Canada with his parents’ family band, Helka Singers, performing old Icelandic songs in traditional costumes. He also comes by his passion for the environment and human rights naturally (he even recorded and released a song for Greta Thunberg on his phone), having written his first song, about nuclear war, by the time he was five. Or maybe it was due to growing up in Manitoba’s Interlake region, or because his lineage entices the energy of Iceland’s cooling volcanoes to occasionally sputter up in his veins.

After founding the band Northern Junk with his brother Kris in Victoria, he moved to Toronto and started releasing solo albums, later having a hit, Rollercoaster, with his band Major Maker in 2007. Perhaps this heritage is what makes Vopnfjörd’s songs familiar from first listen, like something you heard in a far away town a decade ago. While his topics range from love lost to nature lost and beyond, the clean production and jangly vibes mean you can get schooled without getting down.