Kaleo Talk New Album & Moving to the States
Interview & Words by Zoe Marquedant
Earlier this month, indie band Kaleo released their first full length U.S. debut, A/B. Prior to this, American audiences only had a smattering of singles from the Icelandic group. The half dozen or so tracks listed on their Spotify profile was a sample size to judge by, but despite not having more material to showcase, Kaleo showed immense promise early on. Their song “Way Down We Go” is perhaps the best example of their multidimensional, well-developed sound.
Most listeners probably first encountered the song when it was featured in a promo for the Netflix series, Orange Is The New Black. The exposure from the spot may have put the band into the public eye, but the song itself kept the audience’s gaze and ultimately won them over. It is an echoing, crescendoing and excellent first listen. Lead singer JJ Julius Son’s voice, a telling characteristic of Kaleo’s music, really shines through on the track. He sounds like a mix of Hozier and Jack White, with a touch of Justin Vernon (Bon Iver).
He’s perfect for Kaleo’s gravely Americana-esque cross-genre sound. So how did he developed this sweltering singing voice? Son said he likes “a lot of vocalists. Soul singers [being his]favorites.” His personal tastes definitely show in Kaleo’s music. Sonically, the band’s influences read like an American music anthology and range “all the way from the Beatles and Ray Charles [and]all the way back to Robert Johnson and the Delta blues,” Son said. This eclectic taste and developed palate resulted in Kaleo’s unique sound, which is definitely part of their appeal. Kaleo is like nothing else you’re hearing or seeing out of the country, indie or rock camps. Their new music has prompted a lively response Son says. The reaction has been “everything we could ask for. People have really been reacting to the album and we couldn’t be happier.”
It seems audiences are happily devouring the debut, increasingly impressed with the freshness that the band brings to the scene. Apart from being featured in OITNB, “Way Down We Go” also drew attention to the band with its first music video. Filmed in Kaleo’s native Iceland, the video features the four band members descending into the depths of the earth to play in the cavernous belly of the Thrihnukagigur volcano. When asked how the band came to shoot in such a oddly specific location, Son said, “We had this idea to do it there and we thought, why not?”
The band may have been indulging a fanciful whim in shooting within Thrihnukagigur, but clearly it was well worth the effort. The video, even as a thumbnail in the “Related Video” sidebar of YouTube, really catches the eye. Not many bands can boast that they’ve filmed inside of a volcano, and that claim clearly draws views. The comment section is full of positive praise and awe. The response also acts as a sort of survey on the origins of each new Kaleo listener. Some list mixed martial artist Gunnar Nelson or USA drama Suits or simply “the volcano” as the reason that they landed on that particular page. One commenter admitted, “Came for the volcano. Stayed for the good music,” a sentiment that in a way reflects the nonlinear path of a bulk of Kaleo’s fan base.
Odds are unless you live in Austin, Texas, where the band recently relocated, and caught a local show, you hadn’t heard of Kaleo prior to the video’s release last summer. Since then, many fans have wandered into Camp Kaleo, prompted by samplings of “Way Down We Go,” “No Good,” or one of the other Kaleo singles that featured for a few seconds during their regularly scheduled programming. This phenomena proves Kaleo’s ability to entice an audience with just an instant of their work. Just the opening bars of the chorus alone have the magnetism to have audience members hastily googling the song they just heard in OITNB or Vinyl.
Thankfully, despite being featured in all these popular TV shows, Kaleo doesn’t appear to be overselling themselves. Listeners don’t feel bashed over the head or bombarded with unsolicited requests as they do with Blackfin or Suicide Squad. Their chosen setting of a volcano doesn’t feel gimmicky either. The gritty tones of “Way Down We Go” are a perfect fit for the surroundings. Kaleo looks comfortable, almost like a natural occurrence amongst the exposed rock and frozen air. During the performance, the band doesn’t show a single seam, despite the grueling demands of such an unconventional space. “It was a lot of work…” Son admitted, reflecting on the shoot. “We ended up spending twenty something hours there, carrying all the instruments in and out.” All the hauling and hard work payed off, the video now reaching over 3 million views. “In the end it was definitely worth it. The acoustics down there were wonderful.” Son added.
“Way Down We Go” is one of several new songs recorded for A/B. The rest of the record is remastered material from their first effort, an Icelandic release titled Kaleo. This remixed half includes “Glass House” and “Vor í Vaglaskógi,” the latter being Kaleo’s Sigur Rósian-esque ballad sung in Icelandic rather than English. In choosing what songs made the cut, Son said the band “re-recorded some of them or added and improved [others]in the studio.” This process of polishing and recutting produced a sort of duality to the record. A/B has two distinct sides, an A and a B. To once again quote the treasure trove that is the YouTube comment section, one user aptly called the record, “part campfire, part pure fire.” Son said this combining of old and new music “suited the concept for A/B.” Clearly, the album is both suitably structured and suitably named.
Kaleo themselves are a similar combination of sounds, influences, people and places. They are from both Iceland and Texas. They sing in both languages. They have roots in both lands. Their music spans the confines of several genres. No part of them is one singular thing. It is thus only fitting that their debut showcases this sort of split personality. The band’s Icelandic song, “Vor í Vaglaskógi,” represents the older half of Kaleo’s music, a sound that the band is now graduating from. Despite the song’s success, it won’t trigger a trend in their music. “I usually write in English. I don’t see that changing in the near future,” Son said. It appears we’ll be hearing more of Kaleo’s indie, almost Americana side going forward. Although, Son also added, “…never say never” so maybe there’s a Hopelandic side to Kaleo somewhere down the line.
For the newer half of A/B, Kaleo focused on their indie and rock roots. This resulted in the sweltering rock “Hot Blood,” a step up from the palatable-country of “Automobile.” The inspiration for this new music, according to Son was “many places.” You would think the record would be steeped in Austin influences, but Son said he doesn’t think their recent move has changed Kaleo’s music. “Most if not all the songs I wrote before moving to Austin,” he added. Whether he’s writing in Iceland or in the American South, Son’s songwriting has remained thoughtful and deliberate. He says he tries “to put as much soul and feeling into a song when [he’s] writing it” and that emotion really shows, particularly in the heartfelt, high notes of “All the Pretty Girls” and “Save Yourself.”
The relocation to Texas might not have rubbed off on the record, but it was still a definite achievement for the band. “It was always our dream to record and perform music in the U.S.,” Son said. Playing shows in the States, the band has since learned, is an almost opposite experience compared to back home. “It’s very different. Going from Iceland with 300 something thousand people to the U.S. with over 300 million people. The U.S. is such a big country, and there is a lot of long traveling…There isn’t really much touring in Iceland. There are only really a few places you go and then repeat,” Son said.
Kaleo will surely cut their teeth and master the heat of the American summer during their upcoming stint on the festival circuit. The band will spend the warmer months playing everywhere from Canada’s Osheaga Music Festival to Missouri’s KRBZ The Buzz Beach Ball. They will then embark on their U.S. headlining Handprint Tour in late 2016.
Kaleo might not have gotten as much long-haul touring experience in Iceland, but they’ve definitely arrived stateside having made a science out of their live show. When asked what defined a Kaleo gig, Son said “dynamics” and watching them play definitely proves that to be true. During a recent performance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, the band delivered just that. For the appearance, Son stood center stage bathed in a spotlight, backdropped by a plethora of rainbow flags strung across the stage in solidarity with the victims of the recent Orlando massacre. The live, televised version of “Way Down We Go” sounded just as good as when it was cut in the studio or shot in a volcano. Lead guitarist Rubin Pollock’s solo carried effortlessly and Son sounded pitch perfect.
Their performances prove that Kaleo is good no matter where on earth they are. They are a band capable of acclimating to any setting. Their presence on stage is just as striking as the songs of A/B. The record is a diverse sampling of what a multi-genre spanning band can do. Audiences will have to wait for the sophomore attempt to see which side of themselves the band explores next.
