Hugar is an Icelandic duo Bergur Þórisson and Pétur Jónsson. Friends from the sleepy township of Seltjarnarnes, a few miles north-west of Reykjavík. From an early age, the pair shared a love of music, which grew into many years of mastering instruments and experimenting with sound. Adulthood saw Pétur pursue a degree in Architecture, and Bergur’s considerable skills as a trombonist led to an offer at New York’s prestigious Juillard School, which he turned down to shape his own direction. Lending his various skills for other local musical luminaries, working on projects for the likes of Ólafur Arnalds, Björk and Sigur Rós. Along the way Bergur and Pétur started recording some demos, the demos grew in number and suddenly amassed into an album’s worth. Friends lent their studios’ recording equipment, musical instruments and ears. The resulting eponymous debut was a gorgeous ambient, multi-layered instrumental record, interweaving Þórisson’s forlorn brass with Jónsson’s ethereal guitars, with scatterings of gentle piano and an elegant string quartet.