If you think the Irish music scene is tight-knit imagine what it’s like trying to break into, never mind standout in Reykjavík’s, with a population of just 220,000 in a country of 320,000 it’s hard to break in, never mind breakout. Axel Flovent is one of the other 100,000, hailing from the small fishing village of Húsavík in northern Iceland, undeterred Flovent headed to the capital with big dreams.

Epic Holland, soon cottoned on to Flovent’s brand of Bon Ivor and Fleet Foxes inspired folk. Not afraid to dip his toe into a bigger pond Flovent relocated to Amsterdam to be closer to his new ambassadors, “I needed a more proactive relationship with the label, so it made sense to get things going” he told Fashion Music Style of the move in 2017.

Buoyed by the success of his debut EP ‘Forrest Fires’ whose titular track has received over 36million streams on Spotify, Flovent set about expanding his sound and his goals on subsequent EP ‘Quiet Eyes’ before moving to Brighton in an attempt to bring his music to an even bigger audience.

Flovent’s latest release ‘Youthful Hearts’ sees him follow in the footsteps of artists such as our own Dermot Kennedy and Benjamin Francis Leftwich by interweaving electronic elements into to his musical arsenal. The result is a collection of radio ready ballads and up-tempo numbers with an emotional core.

“Years is a song about overcoming fears and inner demons with time and patience. Believing there is someone there for you always and forever. I was quite overwhelmed by fear as a kid, the smallest things seemed so big… Anxiety threw me off the boat – I had created a world of fear, and I got stuck in it. But I was lucky enough to have a loving family, who made everything less terrifying for me.” He told Atwood Magazine of the EP’s haunting single in a recent interview.  “I wrote Years to describe fear and anxiety in a picture, rather than words. I mean, jealousy is obviously a very ugly thing and I’ve kinda got myself to the point where I’ve ruined my relationships because of it. I’m not normally the jealous type, but fear can make you do strange things.”

With a back catalogue of thoughtful folk to draw upon and a new vein of synth leaning pop songs Axel Flovent is primed and ready to take the music world by storm over the next two years with the release of his debut album.

Axel Flovent plays The Sound House on June 7th. Tickets €16.00.

Brought to you in association with Aiken Promotions.