When I saw the cover of Sigur Rós’s new album, my first thought was ‘I hope it’s summer’. Featuring various members of the band running stark naked across an Icelandic highway, the cover is a drastic and colourful departure from the band’s previously sombre and minimalist artwork.

This departure, however, is not just evident in the cover. For a band famous for recording in an empty swimming pool, it seems that this past summer, Sigur Rós filled up the pool, fired up the barbeque and invited their friends around. The record is a joyous and exuberant affair, tapping into similar sonic and emotional territory as The Arcade Fire and their countrywoman, Bjork. It’s a similar transformation to the one Radiohead took with their recent release.

The beauty and majesty are still present, but the mood has lifted from one of sombre reverence to an open encouragement of wild and happy participation.The record does still have its quieter moments, but it is obvious that Sigur Rós have turned a creative and perhaps psychological corner, and it’s a corner I am very happy to follow them around.