Of Monsters and Men
Of Monsters and Men first had the world talking in 2011 with their inescapable and infectious quadruple-platinum smash “Little Talks.” An engaging mix of anthemic indie and alternative, the Icelandic quintet’s critically praised full-length debut My Head Is An Animal [Republic Records] climbed to the top of the Billboard Top 200 and has sold over 2 million albums worldwide.
Since then, the group have delivered rapturous performances at festivals such as Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Coachella, Newport Folk Festival, Osheaga, Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, Pukkelpop, and Splendour in the Grass as well as at countless sold out headline shows the world over.
They have charmed TV audiences with appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Graham Norton Show, Ellen Degeneres, Good Morning America and Saturday Night Live. In the midst of it all, they lent the single “Dirty Paws” to a trailer for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and the iPhone 5 introduction video, while “Silhouettes” was featured on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack.
Fast forward to 2013. The group headed back home to Iceland to begin building the framework for their highly anticipated sophomore effort. Splitting studio sessions between Iceland and Los Angeles throughout 2014 and early 2015, Of Monsters and Men tapped Rich Costey [Death Cab For Cutie, Muse, Foster The People, Interpol] to co-produce what would become their second full-length—Beneath The Skin.
Led by two dynamic singles, “Crystals” and “Empire,” and currently watching the third single “Wolves Without Teeth” climb the charts, the band expands the depth of its sound with it’s latest offering.
When Beneath The Skin hit in June of 2015, Of Monsters and Men stood in the midst of their biggest year yet. The album debuted at #1 on iTunes Overall Top Albums Chart and they introduced it to audiences everywhere with stunning performances on Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. It also garnered critical acclaim out of the gate with Entertainment Weekly calling it, “One of the biggest albums of the summer,” People describing how they “unleash a big new sound,” and Rolling Stone extolling their “newfound sense of intimacy.” Already certified Gold in Canada the record continues to climb with both critical and worldwide acclaim. 2015 alone saw the band perform at Osheaga (headlining), Lollapalooza, Boston Calling, Splendour in the Grass, Sasquatch, Austin City Limits, a sold out UK tour which included two unforgettable sold out shows at the O2 Academy Brixton. 2015 also brought the band to Spain for the filming of a cameo in Game of Thrones Season 6 set to air in 2016.
Looking towards 2016 the band is ready to bring even more to their fans by way of tours in South America, South Africa, a return to Australia and SE Asia as well as their 2nd appearance at Coachella and a handful of dates with Florence + The Machine in June.
The music of the Beat Bugs
