tunesday – first times, last times with… ragnar thorhallsson from of monsters and men

When was the first time you wrote an album together? Our debut album My Head Is an Animal came out in Iceland in 2011. That was the first album we wrote together. We were playing those songs live and tweaking them for a few years before we recorded them. Some of the songs date back to when Nanna was 16 years old, so they’d been with us for a long time.

When was the last time you wrote an album together? The last time we wrote together was on our new album, All is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade. We started sharing with each other little ideas and thoughts in the pandemic – some more abstract, some more fully formed. We then officially started writing and recording these songs back in 2023.

What was the first song you wrote for this album? I believe “Kamikaze” was the first song we wrote for this album. I remember Arnar showing me and Nanna that piano melody some years back. It kind of sat with us for a while before it became what it is today.

When was the last time you did something creative that wasn’t music? I’ve been doing a lot of ceramics in the last few years and I absolutely love it. It’s so nice to find other creative outlets that aren’t music. I also love to paint. It’s been a part of my creative process for most of my life.

Tell us about the first moment that you realised you could pursue music as a career. I think it hit me on our first tour in North America, back in 2012/2013. We booked a small van tour around the US – at the same time our first album was blowing up, so all the venues sold out. We upgraded to bigger ones and they also sold out. Before we knew it, about two years had passed and we’d done around 270 shows all around the world.

Where was the first gig you ever performed? The first gig I did was at school, if I remember correctly. I believe I was 18 or 19. It was sort of like a satire comedy act. We did three songs and for some reason we hadn’t written lyrics for most of the songs so it was my job to just spill nonsense over some guitar riffs.

What was the last album you loved by another artist? The last album that was on repeat for me was The Tree of Forgiveness by John Prine.

What was the first instrument you learnt how to play? I was kind of a late bloomer, but the first instrument I picked up was the acoustic guitar. My dad had gifted me a guitar when I was around eight, but it was a right-handed one. Being very left-handed, I never really connected with it. It wasn’t until later, when I was about 15 or 16 and I tried my first left-handed guitar, that things started to make sense to me, and I haven’t looked back since.

When was the last time someone gave you a good piece of advice? I think it was my dad who taught me this. He always told me to try and enjoy whatever project I'm working on. Sometimes, we get caught up in looking forward to finishing things, chasing the reward of accomplishment. But rather than focusing on that end goal, it’s important to enjoy the process as it’s happening, instead of fixating too much on the completion.

Who was the first artist you loved as a child? I was eight or nine years old. My dad took me and my sister to our first concert. It was Blur, playing at the biggest venue in Iceland at the time, Laugardalshollin. I remember being on my dad’s shoulders, just mesmerised by that show.

When was the last time you visited a new country? I believe it was Thailand. I ended up in hospital, though, so I didn’t experience much of the country – but the hospital was amazing. Best hospital food I’ve ever had.

Feast your ears on Of Monsters and Men's new album All is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade here.