Seabear

Although initially the solo project of Sindri Már Sigfússon, Icelandic indie folk outfit Seabear had morphed into a seven-piece band by 2007, when the group made its full-length debut with The Ghost That Carried Us Away. The album's textured, mostly acoustic instrumentation, tender lead vocals, and gentle backing harmonies reappeared on the follow-up, 2010's We Built a Fire. Sigfússon then turned his attention to the more indie electronic-minded Sin Fang, releasing five albums under the alias during the 2010s before returning to folk-rock inspirations with 2022's In Another Life by a reunited Seabear.

Sigfússon began performing as Seabear in 2003, gradually adding fellow Icelandic songwriters and visual artists to the project before recording a debut album, 2007's The Ghost That Carried Us Away, with Gudbjörg Hlin Gudmundsdottir, Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir, Halldór Ragnarsson, Örn Ingi Ágústsson, Kjartan Bragi Bjarnason, and Sóley Stefánsdóttir (aka Sóley). Released by Morr Music, its hushed yet lush, folksy stylings began to find an international audience in 2008, when the song “Cat Piano” was featured in an episode of Gossip Girl. Although Sigfússon also devoted time to his own solo work (releasing Clangour in 2008 under the alias Sin Fang Bous), Seabear continued gathering momentum over next couple years. 2010 found the group launching its first American tour and releasing its second album, We Built a Fire. The song "Cold Summer" appeared on an episode of Grey's Anatomy.

After shortening his other project's name to Sin Fang, Sigfússon released five more increasingly synth-oriented albums on Morr Music throughout the 2010s, with Sad Party arriving in 2019. Similarly, Stefánsdóttir had solo success with a run of four albums and a half-dozen EPs as Sóley; the two of them collaborated with Múm's Örvar Smárason on 2017's compositional Team Dreams, credited to Örvar Smárason, Sóley, and Sin Fang. Sigfússon then reunited Seabear, which released the single "Waterphone" in 2019 before including it on their first album in 12 years, 2022's In Another Life. Also released by Morr Music, it marked a return to structure song. ~ Marcy Donelson & Andrew Leahey, Rovi