Of Monsters and Men: Iceland, Songwriting, and the Stories Behind the Music

Hosted by Editor-in-Chief Lisa Konicki, Off the Record features in-depth conversations with top music artists, exploring their musical journeys, the craft of songwriting, and personal stories behind the music. Off the Record continues its first season with a powerful new episode. In Episode 5, available now, Konicki sits down with Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar þórhallsson of Of Monsters and Men for an in-depth conversation about the band’s new album, All is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade. In this introspective interview with Of Monsters and Men, we take a journey between Icelandic culture and the story behind their new album, All Is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade. When host, Lisa Konicki, reveals that the band inspired her to book a Nashville-to-Iceland flight, Nanna and Ragnar share must-do local tips—chase south-coast waterfalls, and soak in the local pools and hot tubs where Icelanders famously “talk politics” (even if it’s all in Icelandic). The band unpacks the album title and the push-pull of love and pain that runs through the record. We also learn how the group formed from Nanna’s solo beginnings and how the pandemic break reshaped their lives—kids, cabins, and Nanna’s solo album How to Start a Garden. During the interview we learn the find out the literal origin of “Tuna in a Can,” the raw, live cabin recording of “The End,” Ragnar’s favorite part of performing “Styrofoam Cathedral” (he gets to scream), their blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Game of Thrones balcony cameo, and a final toast with Icelandic Reyka vodka to close it all out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices