Formed in 2005, they set their local scene alight by playing a synth-driven technical mix of styles and genres difficult to define in a single word. The band's name was taken from the movie L.A. Confidential. They are known for their strong DIY ethic and chaotic live performances.
The band is currently signed to MNRK Heavy. They released two albums on Hassle Records: Hysterics (2008) and the Diplo-produced Cosmology (2010). After creating their own record label called Destination Moon in 2011, they released Eternal Youth, a compilation album of B-sides, remixes, and rarities from throughout their career, and their third album, 21012’s Astraea, with the first line-up change in their career. They then released two albums on Holy Roar records: Grievances (2015) and Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It (2018).
Their music has been difficult to classify simply because of the band's resistance to being identified with one single genre. Described as "like a polished chrome King Crimson for the 21st Century" they have typically been acknowledged as being mathcore, a tag which summarises the theoretical complexity of their music, such as odd time signatures like 9/8 and 13/8 and polyrhythmic drumming. They have been identified as "falling somewhere between grindcore, progressive and alternative rock and have been categorised as experimental rock, post-metal, post-hardcore, progressive hardcore, progressive rock and screamo. The band utilises two vocalists in their music, a quality which "immediately creates a rich and textured sonic world". Eva Spence's vocal style was acknowledged by Michael Wilson of the BBC as bi-polar; swapping between "fragile lullabies to blood-curdling scowls". Her singing voice is in a soprano vocal range and has been compared to the stylings of Alison Goldfrapp of Goldfrapp and Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins.
Their earlier work—such as Hysterics, Cosmology and their demos and extended plays—was known for its use of jazz breakdowns and swapping chaotically between explosive mathcore, calm atmospheric experimental music and acid jazz. Their music is also noted for sharing traits with Nintendocore in terms of chaos and sound for the use of 8-bit synthesizers. The compilation album Eternal Youth gave insight into their musical development from their 2005 demos to their latest b-side releases with Hassle records.
The band’s sound developed further into pop, ambient, shoegaze and space rock elements for their third album Astraea, and has been jokingly dubbed as cosmic-core. For one of the b-sides from the album—“Mezmerizer”—NME journalist Hamish MacBain classed it as a "space rock ballad". For the album, the band decided to base its name on the goddess of the same name, a reference to the Spence siblings’ admiration for Greek mythology and a desire to pick a title which made the album "sound big and like this proper body of work". The non-album single "Old Mystics" and the song from the album "The Scales of Balance" both make reference to the "Golden Age" declared by Astraea.
In contrast to the lighter tone developed on Astraea, their fourth album—Grievances—is frenetic and dark in its composition, utilising pianos and violins for a darker character.
Their fifth album, Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It— as described by James Spence—“continues in the vein of Grievances' darkness, but shouldn't be used to judge what all our new material sounds like."
The band's sixth album, Where Myth Becomes Memory, was released on 04 February 2022. Lyrically, it deals with "how the passage of time, miles on the road, bittersweet nostalgia and the inherent unreliability of human memory shape and reshape our experience of the art we make and the lives we live." Sonically, the music continues to "magnify the dynamic interplay between light and shade", moving from chaos to tranquility at the drop of a hat.
Current members:
Eva Korman – vocals (2005–present)
James Spence – vocals, synthesizer (2005–present)
Chris Cayford – guitar (2012–present)
Nathan Fairweather – bass guitar (2012–present)
Al Pott – drums (2018–present)
Aftermath
Rolo Tomassi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Untethered by visions
Unfamiliar
All lines of sight
Obstructed by light
For what lies beneath
Don't blame all that is lost
We revive ourselves
I'll break it off
Severing all ties
I won't look back
Fragments must realign
Dimming the sparks
That burned so bright
We'll never know how this could be
To build it up and break it off
There's more to keep and less to leave behind
There's more to lose and more to try and find
Don't blame all that is lost
We revive ourselves
Unafraid of the aftermath
The bones of what's below will never grow
The lyrics of Rolo Tomassi's song "Aftermath" seem to describe a moment of closure and detachment from the past. The singer is "closing off" and becoming untethered from any previous visions they had of their life. Everything they once knew is now unfamiliar and all the lines of sight are obstructed by light. It seems that this light symbolizes a new beginning, a way to prevent the singer from being able to look back and hold onto the fragments of the past.
The lyrics continue to suggest that the singer is ready to sever all ties and break away from everything that once held them down. They seem to be willing to let go of the sparks that once burned so bright and embrace the unknown, despite the fear of the aftermath. This courage to move forward is highlighted by the line "we revive ourselves", which suggests that the singer is ready to rejuvenate and start anew. The final line, "The bones of what's below will never grow", implies that there is no hope to revive the past and that the singer is ready to let go and start fresh.
Line by Line Meaning
In practice past, I'm closing off
I'm leaving the past behind and closing myself off from it.
Untethered by visions
I am not influenced by any guiding visions.
Unfamiliar
I am in an unknown, new place.
All lines of sight
Every viewpoint and perspective
Obstructed by light
Are covered and hidden by a bright light.
For what lies beneath
For what is hidden beneath the surface.
And remains on the surface
And what is still visible on the surface.
Don't blame all that is lost
Do not blame everything that has been lost.
We revive ourselves
We find the strength to carry on by ourselves.
I'll break it off
I will end it completely.
Severing all ties
I am cutting all connections and relationships.
I won't look back
I am moving forward and will not regret my choice.
Fragments must realign
The broken pieces must come together to create a new whole.
Dimming the sparks
The previously bright and exciting things have lost their intensity and charm.
That burned so bright
That were once full of passion and fire.
We'll never know how this could be
We cannot fully understand what could have been done differently.
To build it up and break it off
To put effort into creating something but then dismantling it completely.
There's more to keep and less to leave behind
There are more things worth holding onto than abandoning.
There's more to lose and more to try and find
There is a lot at risk, but also plenty of opportunities to discover something new.
Unafraid of the aftermath
Not scared of what may come after the event.
The bones of what's below will never grow
The foundation for what's to come is set and will not change.
Lyrics © Sentric Music
Written by: Chris Cayford, Nathan Fairweather, Tom Pitts, James Spence, Eva Spence
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BENT n BROKE
In practice past, I'm closing off
Untethered by visions
Unfamiliar
All lines of sight
Obstructed by light
For what lies beneath
And remains on the surface
Don't blame all that is lost
We revive ourselves
I'll break it off
Severing all ties
I won't look back
Fragments must realign
Dimming the sparks
That burned so bright
We'll never know how this could be
To build it up and break it off
There's more to keep and less to leave behind
There's more to lose and more to try and find
Don't blame all that is lost
We revive ourselves
Unafraid of the aftermath
The bones of what's below will never grow
gnarxy
The ending of this song is the "fullest" sound I have ever heard in my 40 years of being on planet earth.. absolute art
Grrhmaa Dulyaa
I hear ya. Enormous sounds.
Artfaith
Indeed, incredible... ✨
Imho, it's also awesome how this album sounds on vinyl or if listened in the exact track order.
Bolognese
If you like that kind of "wall of sound" type thing, you might like Devin Townsend's work, if you're not already familiar :) The end of his "Death of Music" give me chills because of how "thick" and epic the sound feels.
DestinSkye
@Bolognese excellent suggestion! He sprang to mind for me too, I love his song 'True North' he did with Anneke van Giersbergen and how after the intro her voice comes in with what sounds like chiming harmonics creating an other-worldly effect before launching into the song proper that is full just like this Rolo Tomassi song. Great stuff by two great bands! 💓
Nexus
you all guys must listen to Ben Frost - Theory Of Machines
Bret Silverberg
I am full-on obsessed with this song and I refuse to stop listening to it
Jon
I probably liked this comment a year ago. And im still obsessed. How about you? lol
Bret Silverberg
@Jon Yup absolutely. But since this comment, I'm newly obsessed with their latest record. I love this band
Jon
@Bret Silverberg heavily under rated!!