Of Monsters and Men is an amiable group of daydreamers who craft folkie pop songs. But last year, the normally mild-mannered six-pack transformed into total rock stars after stomping out their competition during Músiktilraunir, a yearly battle of the bands in their native Iceland. “We just kind ofwon,” recalls co-singer/guitarist Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdottir. “We weren’t expecting it at all. So I said, ‘Everybody come to my place!’” Beer-swilling friends spilled out of her flat. “I was like, ‘Oh fuck, my neighbors aren’t liking me right now.’” Those neighbors won’t be making noise complaints anymore.

With the group’s bright, trumpeting single “Little Talks” winning over one blog at a time, Nanna and her bandmates (co-singer/guitarist Ragnar “Raggi” Porhallsson, guitarist Brynjar Leifsson, drummer Arnar Rosenkranz Hilmarsson, piano/accordion player arni Guajonsson, and bassist Kristjan Pall Kristjansson) are well on their way to becoming citizens of the world. Though their reach is growing broader, the group’s appeal has remained distinct: Their music is as fantastical as it is pretty.

For inspiration, they often reference random stories they’ve read. The chanting, tribal “Six Weeks” was inspired by the true tale of American frontiersman Hugh Glass, seemingly left for dead after 86ing a bear that attacked him. Explains Nanna, giggling: “I was reading a post about the six most badass guys in history.” As for the swelling, epic “From Finner”? “It’s about a whale that has a house on its back” says Raggi "on which people travel across the ocean, exploring different places and having adventures.” My Head Is An Animal, released April 3, 2012, debuted #1 on the Alternative Chart and #6 Overall, selling over 55k in its first week.