Eva Schram
Audio By Carbonatix
“We’re trying to get into the extroverted mode again,” says Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson, the co-lead vocalist and guitarist for Of Monsters and Men. “It’s been a while of just being hermits at home in Iceland.”
Now, the members are hitting the road for the first time in six years, marking an emotional return for both the group and its fans. Of Monsters and Men is touring in support of its new album, All Is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade, and Denver can hear it live at the Mission Ballroom on Sunday, November 23.
“We’re getting out on the road again after quite some time,” says Þórhallsson. “So we’re all excited. Life’s about to change a little bit.”
Eva Schram
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The Mile High City has been a stop for the Icelandic band across different phases of its career, from performing at intimate spots like the Ogden to opening for Vampire Weekend at Red Rocks. Of Monsters and Men first hit the charts in 2011 with its debut album, My Head Is an Animal, and the global hit “Little Talks,” which has reached over 1.28 billion plays on Spotify alone. Its distinctive Icelandic-choral-meets-folk-indie-sound brought a fresh sound to an industry that, at the time, was dominated by highly polished pop and electronic production.
Since that debut, Of Monsters and Men has released several albums, including Beneath the Skin (2015) and Fever Dream (2019), steadily evolving its sound while maintaining the narrative depth that made the band stand out. With each release, the group has explored new textures and themes, experimenting with instrumentation and lyrical perspectives while maintaining a deep connection with fans through the music.
Eva Schram
The members’ break from touring was spent at home reconnecting and rediscovering what it means to make music together without outside pressure. While embracing a more raw, imperfect production on the new album, which was recorded at a home studio, the members let go of rigid expectations and allowed themselves to create something authentically personal.
“I really like the feeling of making something that really feels like your own private, secret thing, and then when you are ready, you can share it,” says Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, co-lead vocalist and guitarist.
The album is no longer the band’s little secret: All is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade was released on October 17, before its North American tour kicked off on October 28. Denver will be its highly anticipated third-to-last stop before heading to Europe. Fans can expect to hear songs from the new album, carefully curated over years of reflection and experimentation.
Eva Schram
Hilmarsdóttir explains that the album unfolded over time – some material and lyrics were set aside and revisited over the years, picked up and put down until it felt complete. “Sometimes we are working on a song, and we kind of get stuck, so we just put it away for a while, then we work on something else,” she says. “Then months pass and we revisit the song. So it’s all cooking at the same time — something’s already on the stove and you bounce between them.”
Lyrical stories that began during the COVID-19 pandemic found meaning when completed in its aftermath, giving the album a sense of “time travel” that explores what it means to be human. The album’s title track, meanwhile, examines the idea of humanity through the lens of a mouse family, a metaphor for perspective and community.
“It puts perspective on your own life and your own worries,” says Hilmarsdóttir. “It’s a story of how beautiful it is to belong in a community. These mice have their struggles, their love and pain, and they’re just trying to survive. There are generations before and generations that come, but they are just these little mice in a human world, which of course, is very overwhelming at times.”
In a world still recovering from a pandemic and facing daily uncertainties, the album captures both struggle and hope. The closing track, titled “The End,” leaves a message of perseverance and connection: “The world is ending and we just keep on living anyway.”
The album feels like a warm embrace, acknowledging the struggles of the modern world while offering a moment of escape.
“When people hear our music,” Hilmarsdóttir says, “we want it to be a little bit of an escape from that reality that’s happening, and hopefully a little place where they can disappear to.”
Of Monsters and Men, Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop Street, 8 p.m. Sunday, November 23. For tickets and more information, see the Mission Ballroom website.