Formed in 1994 in the Icelandic capital, Reykjavík, Sigur Rós comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Jón Þór “Jónsi” Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal sound, frontman Jónsi's falsetto vocals, and their use of bowed guitar, Sigur Rós incorporate classical and minimal aesthetic elements. Jónsi's vocals are sung in Icelandic and non-linguistic vocalisations the band terms Vonlenska. They have released eight studio albums to date, and attracted critical and commercial attention worldwide.

In 2001, Sigur Rós christened their newly completed studio by recording an EP titled Rímur with an Icelandic fisherman named Steindór Andersen. The EP contains six songs, all of which feature Andersen reciting traditional Icelandic rímur poetry. Sigur Rós accompany him on three songs. A thousand copies of the EP were printed and sold during the spring tour of 2001. The EP was sold in a blank white paper case. The band toured in Canada in ‘01, performing at Massey Hall in Toronto, and they played a handful of dates in Europe too.