Kaktus Einarsson and John Grant share ‘Follow’ ahead of ‘Factoid Happiness’
Kaktus Einarsson releases the single “Follow” with John Grant, previewing the album “Factoid Happiness”, out 18 September 2026 via One Little Independent.
Icelandic artist Kaktus Einarsson has released the single “Follow“, featuring American singer-songwriter John Grant, as the first preview of his third solo album “Factoid Happiness”, out 18 September 2026 via One Little Independent Records. The single is streaming now, including on Spotify, and comes with a video filmed at ReykjavÃk’s historic theatre Iðnó, directed and edited by Nikulás Tumi, in which both singers appear.
Einarsson traces the song back to a street encounter in ReykjavÃk: “I was walking home from preschool with my kids when we passed an American tourist live-streaming on our Pride-coloured street in ReykjavÃk, preaching homophobic ideas and blaming Iceland’s volcanic eruptions on our acceptance of queer people. […] Later, over an iced latte with my friend John Grant, I read him the lyrics and immediately knew his voice had to be part of the song. He’s someone who survived that exact environment and broke free from it.”
From ‘Follow’ into ‘Factoid Happiness’
The ten-track album questions what happiness is and where people are told to find it, looking at algorithms, social media and political polarisation. Einarsson explains the title: “We’re constantly being sold things as ‘truths’; feelings, knowledge, lifestyles. Algorithms decide what we see, what we believe, even what we think will make us happy. But a lot of that is unproven. It’s a factoid. Something that feels true but isn’t necessarily real.”
The record moves between piano-led songwriting, indie-rock, funk and disco-leaning grooves and electronic textures, with guest appearances by John Grant, RAKEL, Thibault Gomez and Jessica Winter. The tracklist runs “Borrowed Dreams (with Thibault Gomez)”, “Glycerine”, “The Decipherer (with Rakel)”, “Burning Snow”, “New Perfume”, “Situated Lovers”, “Follow (with John Grant)”, “Another Feel”, “Lemon Taste” and “3rd Time (with Jessica Winter)”. Einarsson wrote, performed and produced the album at his Studio Frakkland in ReykjavÃk, with additional writing and production by Thibault Gomez; Stephen Sedgwick mixed the songs in London and Matt Colton mastered them at Metropolis Studios.
Alongside the single, Einarsson announced a London headline show:
- 21 October 2026 – London, UK – Paper Dress Vintage
About Kaktus Einarsson
Kaktus Einarsson was born and raised in ReykjavÃk, Iceland, where he began performing as a child with the experimental electronic act Ghostigital before fronting the post-punk and electronic band Fufanu. His solo work bridges contemporary classical instrumentation, electronic production and pop songwriting.
His debut solo album “Kick the Ladder” appeared in 2021 on One Little Independent Records, followed in 2024 by “Lobster Coda”, which featured collaborations with Nanna of Of Monsters and Men and Damon Albarn. “Factoid Happiness” continues that run on 18 September 2026, with “Follow” as its first single.
Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!
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