Built To Spill

indie rock · rock

Built to Spill is an American indie rock band formed in Boise, Idaho, in 1992 around singer and guitarist Doug Martsch, its only constant member. Martsch had previously played in Treepeople, and started the group with Brett Netson and Ralf Youtz; the lineup has rotated continually ever since, with bassists Brett Nelson and Jason Albertini, drummers Scott Plouf and Stephen Gere and guitarist Jim Roth among the longer-serving members. Its nine studio albums are Ultimate Alternative Wavers (1993), There's Nothing Wrong with Love (1994), Perfect from Now On (1997), Keep It Like a Secret (1999), Ancient Melodies of the Future (2001), You in Reverse (2006), There Is No Enemy (2009), Untethered Moon (2015) and When the Wind Forgets Your Name (2022), released across C/Z, Up, Warner Bros. and Sub Pop. The band played the 1995 Lollapalooza tour and became a reference point for later American indie rock, largely on the strength of Martsch's high, plain singing and his long, layered, unhurried guitar arrangements. After roughly two decades with Warner Bros., Built to Spill returned to independent labels with a Daniel Johnston covers album in 2020, then signed to Sub Pop, which announced the deal on 7 October 2021. The Sub Pop debut, When the Wind Forgets Your Name, arrived on 9 September 2022; it was recorded between 2019 and 2021 in Idaho and Brazil, produced by Martsch, and features Lê Almeida on drums and João Casaes on bass, both of the Rio de Janeiro psychedelic jazz-rock band Oruã, whom Martsch met on tour. The current touring lineup pairs Martsch with bassist Melanie Radford and drummer Teresa Esguerra, and the band continues to headline clubs and theatres across North America and Europe.

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