PREMIERE | VAR, "Where to Find You"

Reykjavík quartet VAR; press photo courtesy of the band.

Announcing their aptly and timely titled new album The Never-Ending Year for Spartan Records — the Icelandic group VAR debuts the big stage sound of “Where to Find You”. A song that shines like a searchlight blaring bright from Reykjavík; the crew of Júlíus Óttar Björgvinsson, Arnór Jónasson, Egill Björgvinsson and Sigurður Ingi Einarsson set out to make blazes of festival fare glory that shines like a pop anthem beacon to illuminate a foggy, cold and otherwise moonless night.

“Where To Find You” works in an arrangement tied up in tones of high drama like a soundtrack to score a tense and passionate search party. VAR illustrates the feeling of missing and being away from the one that you love, something akin to the motifs of absentia from Sleepless in Seattle or You’ve Got Mail, then amplify that with guitars and foghorns in the mist that sing out from sea to shining sea. The track is wrapped up with an atmosphere of high emotion that mixes the senses and pangs of longing with the joy of returning to the arms of someone who means the absolute world to you. “Where to Find You” directs an elaborate epic pop play that trudges through an eternal evening that is reunited in the embrace of true love by the emergence of dawn. From the orchestra fury of guitars, the sincerity of vocals and understated stitch-work of subtle keys (with a bit of brass thrown in for good measure) — VAR brings a strong sense of heartfelt closeness during these distant times.

Vocalist/guitarist Júlíus Óttar provided some insights on the new single:

“Where to Find You” was the last song written for the album. Our producer, Eiður, had asked us not to send any more ideas and focus on what we already had. The day before we were to start recording drums I met Eiður and told him I had one more song that I wanted to show him. He liked it a lot and agreed to finish it with us. Siggi had never heard the song when he showed up for the drum recording, he listened to the song twice and said he was ready.

The day after recording the drums, Eiður sent a rough mix of my part with the drums to Arnór to see if he liked it and would be able to add something to it. Later the same day Arnór sent a bunch of guitar takes he did at home back and a lot of them ended up on the album and are a big part of the sound of the song. When it was time to start recording vocals I had no lyrics for the song and Eiður told me just to start singing something, getting a feel for the song and maybe the lyrics would come. He was right and the lyrics came pretty quickly.

We usually write songs together at practices where someone comes up with an idea and we work on them together so the whole process of this song was a bit different. When we were mixing the album and Siggi listened to the song he didn’t even remember recording it and asked me, did you record the drums for this one?

Fellow guitarist Arnór Jónasson elaborated:

The last song that was written for the record. It is probably the biggest sounding one and is layered with guitars. “Where to Find You” is also the only song that I recorded all of my guitar parts at home due to time schedules. Fortunately it came out very well.

VAR's album The Never-Ending Year arrives April 24 via Spartan.