The Singles Jukebox

A perhaps-surprising entry in our 2019 top scorers: this Icelandic rap track. Note: Does not involve TashBed.

[Video]
[7.12]

Scott Mildenhall: Transcribed lyrics are lacking for “Næsta”, but there’s no need for diligently copying the eths and thorns of the ones overlain on the video into Google Translate because the TV show it came from has been given English subtitles. That show is Iceland’s hugely popular satirical New Year TV special, Áramótaskaup, for which this song recently formed the finale. It’s a densely political but ever self-aware reflexive roast, performed by an ensemble led by the (mostly ceremonial) president’s rapper nephew: at once celebratory, knowing and banging. In 2002, 95.5% of Iceland’s population watched Áramótaskaup, and on this showing, fair enough.
[8]

Iain Mew: Getting a fragmented, competitive live travelogue (Did you mean: Travelodge). Sitting on board a colourful electronic vehicle. There’s no time to explore. The surroundings are cool but there’s no time to explore. Always a pivot to the next stop. “Now on your left, a chilled sung section.” “We’re approaching a fantastic example of Europop rapping of the classic school.” Everything sounds familiar but nothing sounds familiar. There’s no time to think. Always a pivot to the next stop. “Alright, do any of you like Big Bang?” “Hang on, I think I’m getting some interference in my headphones…”
[7]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: JóiPé, Króli, and SZK are all mediocre rappers who haven’t released anything of note, but their best songs are all pop-rap (though the dated RnBass tracks are horrific). It’s not surprising then that they whipped up a decent track in “Næsta,” one of the most unabashedly pop songs in any of their catalogues. GDRN makes MOR R&B, but her verse here makes the instrumentation feel super slick, and her silky vocals are sorely missed the moment they disappear. But she — like everyone else — wouldn’t be able to hold interest for all four and a half of these minutes. “Næsta” succeeds, though, because its singers and rappers’ flaws are less perceptible because of their limited presence. More importantly, the song trusts in its infectious chorus. The final one has a punchier synth bass, sounding like a small but earned celebration.
[6]

Ryo Miyauchi: The rappers answer to the sunny and sticky beat, a four-on-the-floor creation that reminds me of an MP3 during the bloghaus era. The slightly retro sheen gets scrubbed away toward the end with a buzzsaw bass line and a warped vocal solo that sends “Næsta” back to the current timeline. That rougher section deserves a house-pop single to itself.
[6]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: The beat is the kind of coolly generic dance music that makes me expect a paint-by-numbers effort– some slick vocals or a hit of rap. Instead, this Icelandic track gets weird. There are movements here– sung vocals to raps to more, shoutier raps all fitting together with the charm and confusion of watching someone else’s friendly in-jokes.
[7]

Iris Xie: I just want to grab a friend and make a lipsync video to this, it is so ridiculous. I might come off as Dr. Frankenstein here, but this sounds like a 2019 update of BIGBANG and 2NE1’s Lollipop, boosted with the vocal phrasings from a Naruto theme song (Sambomaster – “Seishun Kyousoukyoku”) and the speedy, alternating raps from one of the funnest SHINee songs (“Love Still Goes On“). The DNA of all of these songs share a devotion to the ludicrous, carefree side of pop music, where the only thing that matters is how purely and completely you can express your excitement and earnestness. Like, what is going on from 2:20 to 3:00? That vocalist is just riding on a steady marching beat melody with variations, before it just launches into a full force autotuned adlib before going back into the hook. The hell was that?! 
[8]

Thomas Inskeep: Four voices rapping and singing, easygoing electropop beats, plenty of space for the track to breathe, and an elastic, bouncing bridge: combine it all and you get a pretty damned good pop record from Iceland.
[7]

Edward Okulicz: I love the entirety of this song, but I’m not sure if I like each part of it on merit, or if I’m just transfixed by the verse that sounds, I swear to god, like the guy from the (Norwegian, not Icelandic) Grandiosa Lørdagspizza commercial doing the verses to the Bloodhound Gang’s “Mope.” But really, you’ve got four artists who do their own thing and a track that mutates to match and keep the interest throughout. I can’t ask for too much more from a breezy Europop-rap hit. Well, there’s more if you dive into the lyrics, but I didn’t need to.
[8]