Turin Brakes

Often compared to Coldplay and Travis, Turin Brakes are an English indie rock band hailing from Balham, London who are inspired by folk and progressive rock. The group blends acoustic and electric flavors in their music with a tone that's cool in its clean aural surfaces while the lyrics and vocals give the songs a welcome warmth and humanity. Acoustic guitars and the gently impassioned delivery of Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian dominated 2003's Ether Song, while 2007's Dark on Fire added a harder rock edge to their arrangements and 2022's Wide-Eyed Nowhere was a mature effort that combined acoustic and electronic sounds with a deep concern for the state of the world. Turin Brakes was formed in 1999 by Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian, who had been friends since elementary school. As youngsters, they decided to try out for the cathedral choir because it would give them the chance to perform in front of the Queen of England, which they eventually did. Years later, the two aspiring musicians, influenced by a unique range of artists including Sebadoh, Truman's Water, Prince, and the Black Crowes, formed a band, writing tunes and recording their freewheeling jam sessions. One of those sessions became their first release, The Door EP, which was released on Anvil in 1999. The State of Things EP followed the next year on the Source label. Turin Brakes expanded into a full band with the addition of Rob Allum and Eddie Myer and moved up to appearances at the Reading and Leeds festivals. A third U.K.-only EP, Fight or Flight, was released later in 2000, as the band was opening for the likes of Kathryn Williams, Doves, and Lowgold. The debut Turin Brakes full-length, The Optimist LP, was released in 2001 through Astralwerks, and was nominated for that year's Mercury Prize. Arriving in 2003, Ether Song was well received by critics and became a chart success that brought the group more fans. It was followed by the more polished Jackinabox two years later, as Knights and Paridjanian took on a more hands-on role in the production of the tracks and added new instrumental flavors to the mix. Teaming with producer Ethan Johns, Turin Brakes began work on their fourth studio album in early 2007, and while the group had to take a break in recording after Paridjanian and his wife celebrated the birth of their daughter, Dark on Fire was still released in the fall of that year. In 2010, Turin Brakes returned to their melodic folk-inflected roots with the album Outbursts, their first release for the noted U.K. indie label Cooking Vinyl. Two years later, Olly Knights released the solo album If Not Now When. In 2013, Turin Brakes reunited for their sixth studio album, We Were Here, followed by extensive touring in Europe and the U.K. and an appearance at the South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas. In late 2015, the band revealed that they'd recorded a new studio album at Rockfield Studios in Wales. Titled Lost Property, it was released in February 2016 and sounded both confident and accomplished in its studio craft. The group supported the LP with an 18-month tour that covered the U.K., Europe, and Australia. Once they returned home, Turin Brakes promptly returned to the studio, and their ninth album, Invisible Storm, was released in January 2018. In 2019, they set out on an acoustic tour that kept them on the road until 2020. In the summer of 2021, the bandmembers gathered at Olly Knights' home, where he'd set up a recording studio in his garden. Allowing the music to take shape at its own pace, the group crafted 11 songs that saw release in September 2022 on the album Wide-Eyed Nowhere, an LP whose themes found room for introspection and optimism. ~ JT Griffith & Mark Deming