ABOUT HELGAR
Helgar is the artist project of Icelandic creative Helgi Pjetur, an active tech entrepreneur, former footballer, and longtime contributor to Iceland’s indie music scene.
In his early 20s, Helgi joined the founding team of what became one of Europe’s first music streaming platforms (Tonlist.is), and went on to start an indie label that championed emerging Icelandic talent, including Lay Low, whose 2006 debut became Iceland’s best-selling album of the year.
Though he shifted focus in 2008 to build companies in the tech space (Aur, Alfreð, Púls, Leggja) where he's continued to innovate, music remained a quiet, creative undercurrent. In late 2024, that current surged. What started as a return to musical tools and ideas evolved quickly into something more personal: a sound, a story, a voice.
That voice is Helgar, a name drawn from the plural of his own (Helgi = “weekend” in Icelandic; Helgar = “weekends”) and a project rooted in emotional honesty, atmosphere, and lyrical depth. Somewhere between indie rock and cinematic pop, Helgar’s music captures the weight of lived experience with stark beauty.
MUSICAL STYLE
Helgar’s music lives somewhere between Radiohead, Interpol, and Pink Floyd, with ambient and post-rock touches à la Cigarettes After Sex or The National. It's indie rock with poetic leanings, emotionally charged, musically lush, and lyrically unafraid.
Expect plenty of electric guitars, synth textures, moody electric pianos, and rich atmospheres. Songs often explore trauma, parenthood, existential reflection, and the emotional currents of everyday life.
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I want listeners to feel something. To see themselves in the lyrics, or reinterpret them through their own lens.
DEBUT SINGLE
Second-Hand Lives
Out May 15, 2025
Co-produced and mixed with Icelandic artist-producer Barði Jóhannsson (Bang Gang, Lady & Bird, Starwalker), Second-Hand Lives introduces Helgar’s sound: atmospheric indie rock infused with analog warmth, emotional weight, and socially reflective lyrics.
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We like being controlled / by familiarity
Ruled by the bricks in our hearts, are you scared?
The single captures themes of modern detachment, societal patterns, and emotional erosion, wrapped in layers of haunting synths, reverb-soaked guitars, and minimalistic tension. It’s the perfect entry point into Helgar’s sonic world.
SECOND HAND LIVES - PRESS QUOTES