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Icelandic musician Snævar Njáll Albertsson is the mastermind behind Dad Rocks!, the solo project of the singer who initially rose to prominence with the Danish band Mimas. Dad Rocks!, however, is quite different: the guitar here is mostly acoustic and is accompanied by piano, trumpet, violin, viola, handclaps and much more. As Dad Rocks!, Albertsson is inspired by acts such as Bill Callahan, Owen, Why?, Akron/Family and Do Make Say Think. This has led to a sound that is a unique mix of folk, pop and lo-fi with complex guitar-work and anthem-like arrangements.

Snævar Njáll Albertsson’s primary sources of inspiration, however, are the relations closest to him. Most of all his little daughter who also inspired the name Dad Rocks!, naturally a pun on the ’dad rock’ genre. The use of pathos and irony is something that is explored throughout his work. Lyrically, this is also a central aspect with subjects both big and small. Sometimes delivered almost cynically but with words that are close to naïvism. Underneath this, the irony lurks at every corner, and even the title of the debut EP, “Digital Age”, explores this dynamic.

Whilst the EP was recorded in a lo-fi setting on an analogue tape recorder, Albertsson had another vision for the forthcoming debut full-length, Mount Modern, and went for a different aesthetic that allowed the instruments to stand out clearer to bring out every single melody carried out on the many instruments played on the album. For this task he enlisted Icelandic super producer Addi 800 (Blur, Björk) to mix the album and Tom Mcfall (REM, Stars, Regina Spektor, Bloc Party) to do the mastering.