Kaleo Biography

Kaleo is an Icelandic rock band. Their music style varies from indie rock, folk, to blues.They released two studio albums, Kaleo (2013) and A/B (2016). The later has sold over 180K copies worldwide. Their most popular single Way Down We Go topped the Billboard Alternative Chart. Additionally, the song was featured in a Logan (2017) trailer. Actually, the band contributed to the soundtrack of several TV series. Among those are Orange is the New Black, Blindspot, Suits, The Vampire Diaries. 

Career

Kaleo means “sound” in Hawaiian. Their find inspiration in the duality of nature. JJ Julius Son (vocals), Rubin Pollock (guitar), Daniel Kristjansson (bass), David Antonsson (drums), formed Kaleo in 2012. At first, they gained some recognition by participating in the Airwaves Music Festival. Their cover of the song Vor í Vaglaskógi was massively broadcasted on a local radio. Furthermore, the indie band gained more attention with their single, All the Pretty Girls. The track which scored over 23 million streams.

In 2015, they signed with Atlantic Records and moved to Texas. They proceeded with making a name there as well. Therefore, they performed at the South by Southwest and received high praise by Esquire magazine. Moreover, their single All the Pretty Girls peaked at number 9 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Songs. During the same year, another single gained extreme success, passing its predecessor. Way Down We Go reached several charts and TV series soundtracks. The video is recorded at an actual magma chamber of a dormant volcano. Finally, Rolling Stones included Kaleo in their10 New Artists You Need to Know. The magazine described their style as similar to Bon Iver and The Black Keys.

Photo credits: officialkaleo.com