Yndi Halda

Yndi Halda

Yndi Halda are a British post-rock group from Canterbury, formed in 2001 while the members are still at school. The name is Old Norse for “Enjoy Eternal Bliss” and is also the title of their debut release. Their music is made up of expansive, cinematic pieces and is often compared with modern classical and post-rock, although it is generally described as more hopeful in tone and more song-based than much of that music.

Line-up

The group includes James Vella, Jack Lambert, Brendan Grieve, Daniel Neal and Oliver Newton. Vella plays guitar, glockenspiel and lap steel; Lambert plays guitar; Grieve plays bass; Neal plays violin; and Newton plays drums and tambourine. Vella also works on the side project A Lily.

Recordings and releases

In 2005, the band begins recording the three tracks that make up Enjoy Eternal Bliss, which they finish in the autumn of that year. A worldwide edition follows in November 2006, including a fourth track, “Illuminate My Heart, My Darling”, and appears on Big Scary Monsters in Europe and Burnt Toast Vinyl in North America. The self-released edition attracts attention for its hand-made, individually designed covers and receives favourable reviews. The group also has a bootleg/demo release, Awake! Awoke! This Heavy Gloom, with eight tracks, from 2006.

Style and reception

Yndi Halda are associated with post-rock and modern classical. Their work is noted for its large-scale arrangements and for a sound that is often described as optimistic or hopeful rather than bleak.