INTERVIEW: KALEO On New Album 'A/B' | Music You Should Know

JJ Julius Son (vocals/guitar), David Antonsson (percussion/vocals), Daniel Kristjansson (bass), and Rubin Pollock (guitar/vocals) of the Icelandic rock band KALEO have mostly known each other since grade school, but finally released their worldwide debut album A/B last month on June 10th and it has already become a hit. The album debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard Top 200, as well as No. 3 on the Alternative & Rock Album charts. The band's music has been featured in commercials, promos for FOX's "Empire," the new season of "Orange Is The New Black," NBC's "Game of Silence," USA's "Suits," as well as on the soundtrack for HBO's show "VINYL."

We recently caught up with the band where they told us all about their new album A/B during an exclusive interview.

[Buy A/B on iTunes]

A/B was recorded all over the world in places like the band's native Iceland, London, and in cities all over the United States. At the time, the band was on the road touring, so recording an album was a bit challenging, however they say that it was "very exciting and fun as well." Even though the guys are from a completely different country, a lot of their songs have a folk and southern blues sound to it that you usually hear from bands in the US -- which just goes to show you how universal music really is. The new record is somewhat of a concept album, in that the concept is based on a vinyl record with an A side and B side, hence the name A/B.

On the concept behind the sound in their debut album 'A/B'

"We wanted the album to kind of represent the band, and the diversity, and the dynamics. That's why I chose to have it like a concept album in a way, that A side is more rock and roll driven, and blues driven, and then a different side is shown on the B side, which is more melody driven, softer side. It's kind of the concept of a vinyl record. It's A side and B side. Side A has, is quite more uptempo and upbeat songs, while the B side is more softer and melodies and more quiet than the A side."

On their handprint cover art for 'A/B'

A/B's cover art features four handprints ... and it's not a coincidence that there are four band members. Each handprint on the album's cover art is the actual inked handprint of each band member, which is most likely where their "Handprint Tour" name came from (that kicks off at the end of September). The band says that making these handprints for the album art "was a fun day at the office." They add, "The ink really didn't come off for I think three days, or so. But I think it was Danny's idea, he came up with it, and we all kind of liked it. It was simple, and kind of catches your eye somehow."

A/B features ten new songs, and the band's frontman JJ explains that many of them are older songs written a few years ago. Only a handful of the songs on the album were written recently. In fact, "Pretty Girls" was written in Iceland right before the band made the big move to the United States.

On the writing process for the album

"Some of the songs I wrote when I was still living in Iceland, and at that point I really liked to go up to a lake house or summer house in Iceland and get some peace and quiet, and write there. I would also go to Spain to write. I did recently, on the road or in London, actually one of them. So it's different for each song. But, a favorite memory? Perhaps [writing] 'All The Pretty Girls.' That one I remember writing in the summer house in Iceland. And that was kind of just before we moved to the US."

The band explains that it's hard to pick a favorite song, but "Can't Go On," "Way Down," and "No Good" are fun to play live, as well as the one Icelandic song on the album, titled "Vor í Vaglaskógi," which translates to "Spring in Vaglaskogur." Vaglaskogur is the second largest forest area in Iceland. "It's very different seeing the reaction from people in the States because it's sung in Icelandic."