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You think you know the Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men, but you have no idea. Within the first minute of the lead single "Alligator" on their new album Fever Dream you'll be wondering if this huge anthem is the brainchild of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs fronting Arcade Fire – all thumping drums, brimming guitars and a call-to-arms chorus about taking control. There's a preconceived notion about the typical Of Monsters and Men sound: stadium folk flourishes, choruses of "hey! ho!"s and metaphors about extreme landscapes. But there has never been a typical Of Monsters and Men sound. Their back catalogue outside of their signature singles has showcased a diverse palette of balladry, danceable belters, and weirder synth moments. On their third album, that will be a fact too front and center to ignore.

"If one song wanted to be a full-blown 80s track, we'd allow it to be that," says Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson. "If another wanted to be a rock track we'd allow it to be that." It is reflective of the landscape of big rock acts now too that genre has become less debilitating and doesn't stipulate that bands need to perform within a certain framework. "We've always been drawn to that," agrees Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir. "When a lot of people hear our name they think of us as a folky acoustic band. We've never been one thing. These days, we feel free to go to extremes," Brynjar Leifsson notes. "We wanted to explore everybody's palettes and do what we wanted to do: just try everything."

Lyrically the album is more personal than ever, which makes sense since it's the first Nanna and Ragnar have written lyrics for apart from one another. The band wanted the songs to contain more light and joy – a catharsis to push through the anxieties they're expressing. The way in which Nanna's voice relates that dialogue to the world is the most evolved of anything here. It's almost beyond recognition. Her voice growls like there's something between her teeth. It's a confidence thing, admits Nanna. "I'm at the point where I know what works for me and what I want." "Alligator" is the first indication of that.