Kaleo

KALEO, the Icelandic outfit known for crafting soulful anthems steeped in blues and folk traditions, revolves around the husky vocals of frontman Jökull Júlíusson. After bursting onto the scene through the viral spread of “Vor í Vaglaskógi” in 2012, the group cultivated an international following that drew comparisons to Hozier and Ray LaMontagne. Their self-titled debut arrived in 2013 and achieved immediate domestic success, yielding multiple gold-certified tracks. Broader recognition followed with the 2016 album A/B, which entered the Billboard 200. Surface Sounds, issued in 2021, marked a shift toward a more expansive, rock-oriented approach and topped the Icelandic charts. Early 2024 brought the standalone acoustic release “Lonesome Cowboy.”

The band took shape that same year in Mosfellsbær, a short distance from Reykjavík, adopting the Hawaiian term “KALEO,” meaning “the sound.” Founding members Jökull Júlíusson on vocals and guitar, Davíð Antonsson on drums, and Daníel Ægir Kristjánsson on bass—childhood companions who had played together since their teens—later welcomed guitarist Rubin Pollock. Drawing from blues, folk, country, and rock influences, they made their first public appearance at the 2012 Icelandic Airwaves festival and cut initial singles the next year. A live radio rendition of the traditional Icelandic number “Vor í Vaglaskógi” unexpectedly caught on regionally, its accompanying video spreading widely online by 2013. Before the year closed, the group secured a deal with Sena, Iceland’s premier label. Their 2013 debut, KALEO, attained gold status at home, produced five chart-topping singles, and launched their inaugural European tour.

The introspective acoustic track “All the Pretty Girls,” released in 2014, proved pivotal, prompting a U.S. signing with Atlantic Records and a relocation to Austin, Texas, where the band began shaping new material while crisscrossing North America. Two fresh singles emerged in 2015 as they established themselves stateside. Placement of “Way Down We Go” in an episode of NBC’s Blindspot delivered national visibility, while “No Good” appeared in promotional material for the HBO series Vinyl. “I Can’t Go on Without You” followed in early 2016. That summer saw the international arrival of A/B, which reached number 16 on the Billboard 200.

KALEO resurfaced in 2020 with the singles “I Want More” and “Break My Baby,” signaling the harder-edged rock direction of their third album, Surface Sounds. Though postponed by the pandemic, the record finally appeared in April 2021 and became their first to top Iceland’s pop chart. Three years elapsed before fresh output arrived in the form of the rustic 2024 single “Lonesome Cowboy.”