Of Monsters and Men, an Icelandic folk/indie rock band best known for their 2011 platinum single “Little Talks,” released a new album on Oct. 17.
The album, titled “All is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade,” follows their 2022 documentary album “Tíu.” The new album had a pre-release publicity presence on Instagram, where the band interacted with fans through the platform. They also showcased previews of the album’s songs and glimpses at the creative process behind their music.
So, onto the meat of things, how does the band’s newest music stack up to their past songs?
In my opinion, not much can compare to their 2011 debut album, “My Head is an Animal.” Two of the tracks off that album, “King and Lionheart” and, of course, “Little Talks,” continue to be listened to by me over a decade later. The sincere, heartfelt melody of the former and the grand, adventurous tone of the latter make those songs masterpieces to me.
The band’s later releases, 2015’s “Beneath the Skin” and 2019’s “Fever Dream,” seemed to pick up a less adventurous tone, with some of those albums’ tracks sticking to a more “atmospheric” feeling. Others picked up a more experimental, more rock-like feel, such as with “Fever Dream’s” opening track, “Alligator.”
So “All is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade” seems to be, in some small ways, a return to the band’s roots in how it sounds, while still maintaining plenty of experimentation. Fans got to listen to the album’s leading tune, “Television Love,” months before the rest of the album as a single. “Television Love” strikes a balance between a mellow feel and impactful instrumentation that lands heavy bass alongside a staticky foundation evoking the song’s title. It’s overall a good introduction to the tone of the rest of the album.
But my favorite from this album, by far, is “Tuna in a Can.” The lead singers, Nanna and Ragnar, put a surprising amount of emotion into the song’s titular opening bar. The rest of the lyrics are premium, on-brand songwriting for the band, hitting familiar lyrical beats, setting a stage of strained, distant relationships. It’s more of the same, but I still couldn’t be happier with how it sounds. The melodies and instrumentation of this song are a return to the heavy emotional beats I had been missing from “My Head is an Animal” since 2011, which earns a thumbs-up from me.
My second favorite is “Fruit Bat.” It’s not quite as much of a romp as “King and Lionheart,” but I still got some of the same feelings listening to it, despite it sounding completely different. “The Actor” nestles itself into a cozy yet melancholic feel, while its chorus hits its emotional beats impactfully.
“Fruit Bat” is the last standout track for me. I’m not usually into slower songs, but it’s still one of my favorites. Most of Of Monsters and Men’s music tends to focus on the sheer power of Nanna and Ragnar’s voices in duet. But “Fruit Bat” truly lets Nanna’s voice shine, with Ragnar not joining until the song’s final chorus. It’s not often we get to hear Nanna solo for almost an entire song, and I think it pays off here.
It’s also a really long song, eight minutes with half being lyrical and the other instrumental. I would have greatly liked it if the vocals had returned for a final rendition of the chorus at the very end, to give the song more of a finality at the end. But regardless, this song was well-received by me.
Overall, I think Of Monsters and Men with “All is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade” has finally accomplished what I’ve been waiting for. It strikes a musical balance between the adventurous feeling of “My Head is an Animal” while still sounding fresh, but not too experimental. It is simultaneously a familiar “OMAM” sound but also pushes their musical concepts forward. In closing, I give this album four out of five stars.
