Kaleo
Iceland's KALEO make soulful blues- and folk-infused anthems centered on lead singer Jökull Júlíusson's smoky vocals. Since emerging to viral fame in 2012 with their song "Vor í Vaglaskógi," they have earned a global audience, drawing favorable comparisons to artists like Hozier and Ray LaMontagne. Their debut, 2013's KALEO, was a break-out success, spawning several more hits that went gold. They gained wider attention with their 2016 sophomore album A/B, which cracked the Billboard 200. A bigger, more rock-driven sound characterized KALEO's 2021 release, Surface Sounds.
Formed in 2012 in the town of Mosfellsbær, just outside of Reykjavik, KALEO (a Hawaiian word that translates to "the sound") originally featured childhood friends Jökull Júlíusson (vocals, guitar), Davíð Antonsson (drums), and Daníel Ægir Kristjánsson (bass). They began playing together as teenagers, later adding guitarist Rubin Pollock to the mix. Inspired by a blend of blues, folk, country, and rock, they made their live debut in 2012 at the Icelandic Airwaves music festival and recorded their first singles the following year. Their live radio performance of the traditional Icelandic tune "Vor í Vaglaskógi" became a surprise regional hit and the video went viral in 2013. By year's end, KALEO had signed with Sena, the country's largest record label. Their debut, 2013's eponymous KALEO), went gold in their home country, spawning five number one hits and inspiring their first European tour.
The release of their introspective acoustic single, "All the Pretty Girls" in 2014, became a turning point for the young band, and before long KALEO had signed with Atlantic in the U.S. and relocated to Austin, Texas, where they began working on material for their next release and touring North America. A pair of new singles arrived in 2015 as the band found their footing in the States. The inclusion of "Way Down We Go" in an episode of NBC's Blindspot garnered KALEO nationwide exposure, as did a promo spot for the song "No Good," which was featured on the trailer for the HBO series Vinyl. Another single, "I Can't Go on Without You," arrived in early 2016. Their international debut album, A/B, was released later that summer and landed at number 16 on the Billboard 200. In 2020, they returned with the singles "I Want More" and "Break My Baby," which appeared on their third full-length, Surface Sounds, in early 2021.
© Timothy Monger /TiVo
Similar artists
-
A/B
Alternative & Indie - Released by Elektra (NEK) on Jun 10, 2016
Qobuzissime24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Surface Sounds
Alternative & Indie - Released by Elektra (NEK) on Apr 23, 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Way down We Go
Alternative & Indie - Released by Elektra (NEK) on Aug 7, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
I Want More (Live at Skálholt)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Elektra (NEK) on Apr 29, 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Backbone (Live at Breiðarmerkurjökull)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Elektra (NEK) on Mar 11, 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
All the Pretty Girls
Alternative & Indie - Released by Atlantic Records on Jan 19, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Way down We Go (Stripped)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Elektra (NEK) on Jan 19, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Want More / Break My Baby
Alternative & Indie - Released by Elektra (NEK) on Jan 15, 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Break My Baby - Stripped Back
Alternative & Indie - Released by Elektra (NEK) on Mar 5, 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
I Can't Go on Without You
Alternative & Indie - Released by Elektra (NEK) on Feb 19, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vor í Vaglaskógi
Alternative & Indie - Released by Elektra (NEK) on Jan 1, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
No Good
Alternative & Indie - Released by Atlantic Records on Aug 5, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
-
-
Break My Baby (Live from Þrídrangar)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Elektra (NEK) on Feb 5, 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
-
-