Icelandic indie-folk icons Of Monsters and Men have released their new, self-produced single, “Ordinary Creature,” their first new music in six years. The track was written and recorded in Iceland and embodies the band’s signature bittersweet joy, capturing a delicate balance between lightness and quiet longing. The accompanying music video, directed by Erlendur Sveinsson, shows the band riding through the peaceful streets of the coastal town of Selvogur.
Of the track, the band states,
Ordinary Creature is about the feeling of yearning for that someone that brings you comfort. It’s about when you start feeling better after a period of not feeling so great. That moment when you start coming back to yourself again and remembering what it’s like to be an ordinary creature.
Alongside the new single, the band has announced their upcoming album, All Is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade, which will be released on October 17th. The deeply introspective and richly textured record explores the paradox of the human experience, focusing on the inseparable relationship between joy and sorrow. Co-singer and lyricist Nanna Hilmarsdóttir describes the album’s narrative as a “Mouse Parade,” a shared history that influenced the project’s emotional landscape.
From their roots in Reykjavík, Of Monsters and Men went from being Icelandic indie darlings to international chart-toppers with their 2011 debut, My Head Is An Animal. The album’s hit single, “Little Talks,” has since amassed over 1 billion streams on Spotify, and the band made their U.S. television debut on Saturday Night Live in 2013.
Their meteoric rise continued with their sophomore album, Beneath The Skin, which debuted in the Top 3 of the Billboard 200. The band’s cinematic sound has been featured in major films like The Hunger Games and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and their energetic live performances have graced some of the world’s biggest stages, including Coachella and Glastonbury.
