Many things have changed since New York-based band Cults broke out on the online music scene via their Bandcamp page in 2011. They’ve changed labels, gone through a public breakup, but most of all the notable, candy-sweet retro sound of their first two albums has gone through a definite evolution.
San Diego natives Madeline Follin (vocals) and Brian Oblivion (guitar) met at film school in NYC and promptly formed Cults in 2010. Their breakout hit came with “Go Outside” (as well as the equally memorable music video featuring Emma Roberts and James Franco), dubbed “Best New Music” by Pitchfork Media and their self-titled debut album. With it’s catchy 60’s pop sound, Cults, full of noir-ish references, such as Jim Jones and the Jonestown massacre, also managed to be strangely contemporary, perfectly capturing the millennial New York indie sound and sentiment of the time.
Their follow-up album, Static, released in 2013 was equally solid and continued to increase their notoriety, achieving the near impossible task of matching the first album in terms of quality and signature sound.
Fast forward four years to October 2017, when Cults released their third full-length album, Offering. Staying true to their affinity for retro sound and sweet, airy vocals, this third effort nonetheless noticeably veers away from the band’s earlier material with a more distorted, atmospheric sound closer to 80’s new wave or even Shoegaze in some places. The album has already garnered quite positive press. Ditto for their American tour promoting it.
Be sure to catch Cults on the European leg of their tour and see for yourself this coming Tuesday, January 30th at Musik & Frieden.
