FEVER DREAM

Best known for 2011’s “Little Talks”, the Icelandic band step away from the folksy anthems and aim for a bigger sound (and audience) on their third album, <i>FEVER DREAM</i>. “Wake me up!/I’m fever dreaming,” co-lead singer Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir belts out as a spirited call to action on the pulsing opening track “Alligator”, while atmospheric cuts like “Vulture, Vulture” and “Róróró” serve a healthy dose of dreamy synths and drum loops that evoke wide-open landscapes. For fans of the five-piece’s indie-folk beginnings, the lovelorn sing-alongs “Sleepwalker” and “Stuck in Gravity” bridge the eras of their sound, channelling the delicate harmonies and light drum taps from their 2011 debut <i>My Head Is an Animal</i>. “Wild Roses” unpacks their sadness with a pop-oriented groove, layering the tribulations of slow healing from painful circumstances over nimble electronic beats and steady synths.