After years of touring and intercontinental migration, singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche has finally settled down in Brooklyn, savoring old friends, a new album and a mellower lease on the high life. "We love it here,” says Lerche, motioning to his backyard. “We have parties outside, even on freezing cold days.” Thankfully, this warm late summer night promises no such thing. The 27-year-old singer-songwriter, dressed comfortably in electric-blue pants and a loose linen shirt, reclines while his slight wife, Mona, fusses over their patio table, arranging tea lights and fixing watermelon cocktails and artichoke appetizers for her guests. She makes certain not to muss her Dolce & Gabbana separates, vintage apron and silvery freshwater pearls. “My wife is a great cook,” says Lerche, smiling. “But she’s a fantastic entertainer.”

Click here to listen free to Sondre Lerche's "Heartbeat Radio."

The young couple moved from Norway to Manhattan four years ago, got married and started entertaining. Mona, a gregarious actress and model, made fast friends and began hosting dinners for her newfound pals, complete with Norwegian specialties and original drinks. Last February, when the duo traded their cramped West Village apartment for a spacious Brooklyn home, they took their soirées up a notch. “I have Mona to thank for our circle of friends,” Sondre says, amid the lively guests. “It’s like I’ve borrowed them -- though I’d like to think they’re mine, too, because they’re all really great people.”

“The people make the party,” says Mona, as those very party people -- including a United Nations peace officer and an independent filmmaker -- gratefully swill cocktails. Lerche pipes in: “I’d like to host a very random party with Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald -- who were both nuts -- and George Lazenby, who played James Bond only once because he grew a big head. He fascinates me. He’s actually the subject of one of my songs, ‘Like Lazenby.’”

That track appears on Sondre’s new album, Heartbeat Radio, the first he made independently -- with help from Joe Chiccarelli, the producer of hit albums for the White Stripes, the Shins and U2. “I had done the major label thing for so long,” says Lerche of his decision to break free. “I needed to do this for myself.” The result is a polished record featuring Sondre’s captivating lyrics unwinding over whimsical instrumentation. Not only is he proud of the album, but it’s also helped him enjoy a more balanced life. “When I was with the label, I was used to working and touring all the time and I wasn’t very social,” Lerche says as his friends empty the last bottle of the evening. “I’ve learned to balance work and play, but tonight was mostly about play.”

Photo by Victoria Will. Styling by Bryan Levandowski. Hair/Makeup Kumi Craig. Photographer's Assistant: Nigel Gregory. Stylist's Assistant: Wilson Mathews III. On Mona: Bustier and Skirt by Dolce & Gabbana, Necklace by Express. On Sondre: Shirt by John Varvatos, Jeans by 1921, Tie by Diesel.