Fever Dream

Best known for 2011’s “Little Talks,” the Icelandic band steps away from the folksy anthems and aims for a bigger sound (and audience) on its third album, FEVER DREAM. “Wake me up!/I’m fever dreaming,” co-lead singer Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir belts out as a spirited call to action on the pulsing opening track “Alligator,” while atmospheric cuts like “Vulture, Vulture” and “Róróró” serve a healthy dose of dreamy synths and drum loops that evoke wide-open landscapes. For fans of the five-piece’s indie-folk beginnings, the lovelorn sing-alongs “Sleepwalker” and “Stuck in Gravity” bridge the eras of their sound, channeling the delicate harmonies and light drum taps from their 2011 debut My Head Is an Animal. “Wild Roses” unpacks their sadness with a pop-oriented groove, layering the tribulations of slow healing from painful circumstances over nimble electronic beats and steady synths.