Kaleo returns with ‘Surface Sounds’ at Knitting Factory

During an interview with Icelandic icon Bjork a generation ago, the quirky pop diva explained to me why her band, the Sugarcubes, had such a unique sound.

“In Iceland, we are removed from much of the world, and we aren’t as impacted by what’s going on, and so we make our own style of music,” Bjork explained during a 1988 chat.

Well, it’s the opposite for Iceland’s Kaleo, which means voice in Hawaiian. Singer-guitarist-songwriter Jokull Juliusson, aka J.J., was inspired musically since he was a child by American roots music and the Beatles.

“I was always fascinated by that style of music,” Juliusson said while calling from his Nashville home. “I love roots music. I’m fascinated by the blues. I’ve tried to get to the source of it all.”

Juliusson, 31, and his bandmates, drummer David Antonsson, bassist Daniel Kristjansson, guitarist Rubin Pollock and harmonica player Porleifur Gaukur Daviosson, relocated to Austin, Texas, in 2015 months after signing with Atlantic Records.

“It has definitely helped being here in America,” Juliusson said. “It’s not just about being where the music came from. This country has some of the best facilities for recording. I like to produce the material myself, and what I love about being in Nashville is that there are so many great session players.”

After making a splash with their initial single, the catchy “All the Pretty Girls,” which peaked at No. 9 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Songs chart seven years ago, Kaleo, who will perform Saturday at Knitting Factory, toured behind its debut release, “A/B.”

The follow-up album, “Invisible,” was released just prior to the pandemic in 2019. Kaleo’s latest, “Surface Sounds,” inspired Juliusson to return to his roots. I recorded a lot of nature sounds in Iceland in 2019 for this album,” Juliusson said. “I recorded birds, geysers and waterfalls.”

The lush sounds complement the sonics, which are still influenced by America. Juliusson’s soulful folk and infectious rock tunes are earnest, lush and moving. Juliusson is at his best when penning somber songs.

“Melancholy is a place I visit often,” Juliusson said while chuckling. “I’m pleased I have this platform to express myself.”

“Surface Sounds” is a throwback just like the album, which is refreshingly old school. Kaleo’s third release features songs that move in different directions, but there is a thread that ties together the 11 songs.

“That’s how my favorite albums were made,” Juliusson said. “I hope those type of albums are not dying out. I look back at how those Beatles albums were made, and I’m such a romantic about how music was made back then. What’s great is that if you make it in that style now, it still works.”