Agent Fresco: "I experienced what I was trying to write about, and now it makes sense"

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Some of you may remember Agent Fresco more vividly from their monumental performance with Leprous in Athens in 2018, before our world changed forever. Others may know them from the excellent albums they released, "A Long Time Listening" and "Destrier". That concert was to be one of Agent Fresco’s last for a very long time, as they were more or less inactive from then on. Much to our delight, this was eventually no longer the case, as the Icelandic quartet, who uniquely combine progressive and art rock melodies with every strange idea that sprouts in their beautiful minds, announced two symbolic shows for their return: one at Fekete Zaj in Hungary, and one at Arctangent Festival in England, where this mischievous journalist had the chance to be there and speak with them.

I can make out the smiling faces of Arnór Dan Arnarson and Hrafnkell Örn Guðjónsson (vocalist and drummer respectively), who, after we both confirmed that we are huggers (hugs are lovely, guys, but consent is lovelier), greeted me like old friends. With an equal measure of shyness and excitement about where they are, two of the four protagonists of Agent Fresco revealed to me that they had been deeply moved because, while giving interviews, they were reminded of how much love the world gives them, and they are more excited than ever, and that thankfully they had already played one show, so all the fear had finally disappeared. And so, like children at a fantastical tea party, we sat down and talked about what it means to step away from active duty while, in the meantime, your love for your music only grows, what the world was like for a band before and after the pandemic, mental health, and the new album that, after more than ten years… is coming!

(hereafter, A: Arnór, K: Hrafnkell, from "Keli")

We're sitting here with half of Agent Fresco, basically, in Arctangent Festival, and we are a little bit before they're going to be on stage. How do you feel, guys?

A: A little carsick to be honest but I'm pretty good. Yeah, very excited to be here!

Okay, it's been a long time since you've been quiet as a band, but you've done a couple of shows from what I know already and this should be the third one?

K: Second!

Second? Okay. So are you excited or are you terrified?

K: Not terrified at all.

A: I'm very excited.

K: I feel like We weren't even terrified for the first one, but a little bit like getting back into it. And now maybe too chilled. Too relaxed.

A: I mean, if we were terrified of anything, it was just basic things like tech stuff. Like the in-ears or cables or whatever. But us traveling together, performing together, that’s all that matters. That's all groovy, baby!

So how does it actually feel to be performing after many years have passed and now your second album is considered kind of a classic for the general prog fans?

K: Nice. That's cool to hear. That's an honor.

A: So we're a classical band now... (laughs)

It's so cool to see people are still excited for the two albums after all these years

I mean, have you seen this reception so far from people?

A: Oh yeah, we have noticed it!

K: And it's so cool to see people are still excited for the two albums after all these years. And I mean, we just can't wait to put out the next one.

This is exactly what I was going to ask because there is a rumor which you have happily confirmed I think about the third album going on - is it underway?

A: It's been on the way for quite many years and life happened. We hat to put pause on it many times and… wow years have just passed so quickly. We even have that one album, and then we started writing other new songs as well that reflected us more as to where we are today. But of course me and Keli, we will be recording together now after this trip, finalizing some of the songs and trying to get them out. So I would confidently say the release will be soon. At least it will get to the record label soon and then they make a decision when they want to release it. We can only say when we can deliver it.

I would confidently say the release of the new album will be soon

It's time! So you stopped practically your activity a little bit before the global quarantine.

K: Yeah I think it was accidental because it was before anybody could even know what was going to happen!

I want to ask what is the biggest difference that you see from what you were experiencing as a band back then? And how does it feel now with this big thing happening in the middle?

A: You've toured way more and done way more (speaking to Keli)

K: Yeah, I kind of felt it during the COVID times, but also for us, we already slowed down before it. But I think that the pandemic definitely had an impact as well. I feel like bands are still now making up for it, so everything moves a lot faster now. People are doing more and bands are burnt out more. I feel like we kind of missed the huge problem it created as a band since we weren't active at the time.

A: We were trying to finish that third album at that point and then restrictions came. My health was not good, both mentally and physically and that isolation did not do me very well. I sat a lot and my spine started going the other way around so I had to get other people to help me get put shoes on. At that point I remember having meetings with the guys and I just can't sing. I can't use my body and I'm stressed and there's just so much going on. I was becoming a father so we all experienced COVID in a very different way. I remember Vignir saying like "oh I loved that period because it hit him at a perfect wave and he made it work. Somehow it really put an emergency brake on life and I think it was a wake-up call for everyone in their own way.

For me it had a lot where I was putting my focus so it's been about getting myself together and being the best version of myself so I can enjoy all of this way more and be the best band buddy with the guys. I feel there's been a lot of weird shit going on. I'm grateful for where I am today and the album makes way more sense today than it did then. I was trying to write about something that I hadn't experienced really, so I'm just looking forward to also putting that last bit of vocals, because the guys have already recorded all of their stuff. I've been like playing around with the lyrics and themes and you should see some of my worksheets that are completely insane. But they're beautiful for me. But there has to be a time as well where you just have to say, okay, thank you. This is that period. This is what it was. This is what it is. And let's carry on. And that's me and Kell been talking about that. He's been telling me this as well. It's time, you know?

I've experienced what I was trying to write about

This period kind of completed the puzzle of what you needed to make the music make sense and.

A: It's just, it makes sense now! I've experienced what I was trying to write about. That was the difference between the two other albums: they were concept albums about what I had experienced or what I was going through. This album was more like what I was heading into. All I can say is it's very beautiful and the music really is reflected in the lyrics and vice versa.

K: The drumming is incredible. (laughs)

I'm pretty sure it is! (laughs)

A: It's so chaotically beautiful in our way.

Hopefully we will speak in the future more about this when it's out but for now I want to ask: Are you planning to tour more extensively? Because last time we saw you in Athens was back like in 2018 with Leprous. It was great but it's almost like 10 years ago.

K: Yeah, I think so. We are very open to anything right now, I feel like.

A: Me too. Of course, we’ve gotten older, grown a lot. Some of us have families and we did a lot of touring back in the days and we haven't really toured, like you said, for many years. So these four festivals were also for us just to see where we're at, right? Like emotionally and physically with traveling and touring. But so far, I mean, this is such a fucking blast and we're having such a good time. So, we're open. I think that's the right answer to what Kell said. Just open. We can't promise anything.

So last question for me would be, which band one shouldn't miss in Arctangent? And which band is one that you really love, band or artist of course, that you really admire from upcoming artists in general.

K: Yeah, of course. For me, and we're going to miss them, I have to say Arcane Roots. You can't miss that.

A: Yeah, it's amazing. They're so sweet guys, but Andre especially has been such a sweetheart to us and helped us with recordings and with the album and just him and his wife and his son, like just beautiful people that it's been lovely to have them in Iceland. So I will agree for Arcane Roots.

For an upcoming band I saw this Hungarian artist called Flloszz. Oh my god she hit right the spot for me. I don't know what it was, it was sensual and powerful and melodic and cool as fuck so that's like the newest artist I can think of right now I'm.

K: I just met my friends in the Italian band Benthos and I love their band they're so cool and they're playing Arctangent too, so I would say them.

Okay very nice guys and we're pretty much on time so I'll have to stop it here. Thank you so much for spending this time with me, I’m eager to see you live!

A: We cannot wait for the show (more on the show, here)!

PS: Their performance was astonishing and you can read more about it here.