Beneath the Skin

Released in 2015, Beneath the Skin is the second studio album by the Icelandic quintet Of Monsters and Men. Following the massive global success of My Head Is an Animal, the band opted for a more sophisticated, darker sonic palette. Produced by Rich Costey and the band themselves, the album moved away from the 'stomp-and-clap' tropes of the early 2010s indie folk revival in favor of a more atmospheric, alt-rock influenced sound. Lyrically, the album shifts from external folklore and myth to internal metaphors of anatomy and nature, as evidenced by tracks like 'Human' and 'Organs'. The recording process was notably more collaborative and experimental, involving more electronic textures and a deliberate focus on rhythmic density. It debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200, cementing the band's status as a major international act while signaling their refusal to stay stagnant in a single subgenre.