Montezumas frontman Kristian Matsson started recording a set of rustic, gravelly-voiced tunes, ones that nodded to fellow Swedes Homesick Hank and Thomas Denver Jonsson, under the nom de solo act the Tallest Man on Earth in
... Montezumas frontman Kristian Matsson started recording a set of rustic, gravelly-voiced tunes, ones that nodded to fellow Swedes Homesick Hank and Thomas Denver Jonsson, under the nom de solo act the Tallest Man on Earth in the early 2000s. His self-titled debut EP was released on Sweden's Gravitation Records in 2006. The "Pistol Dreams" single followed one year later, leading up to the release of the Tallest Man on Earth's first full-length album, Shallow Grave, which hit stores in 2008. Matsson spent the rest of 2008 and 2009 touring, opening for Bon Iver and John Vanderslice as well as playing solo shows. After signing with Dead Oceans, Matsson released The Wild Hunt in April of 2010, which was quickly followed by a five-song EP titled Sometimes the Blues Is Just a Passing Bird. His third studio full-length, 2012's There's No Leaving Now, eschewed the urgency and austerity of The Wild Hunt for a more relaxed and conversational approach.