It Hugs Back

With a droning yet jangly sound inspired by Stereolab, Sonic Youth, and Wilco, Kent, England's It Hugs Back look to the sound of '90s indie rock for inspiration — making them something of an anomaly in the late-2000s London indie scene. Consisting of guitarist/vocalist Matthew, keyboardist/vocalist Jack, bassist Paul, and drummer Dimitri, the band released its first single, Lights in the Trees, in fall 2006, as a limited edition of 1,000 copies. They returned the next fall with the Carefully 7" and signed to Too Pure, with the Early Evening single marking their debut release for the label. Other Cars Go arrived in early 2008 and received airplay on XFM and praise from NME, who compared them to Bright Eyes. The Record Room, a compilation of It Hugs Back's singles, appeared later that spring. The band's official debut album, Inside Your Guitar, arrived a year later on 4AD. The band continued releasing EPs and online material in the years between their proper albums. In 2012, the group started their own label, Safe & Sound Records, and used the imprint to release their second album Laughing Party. They followed in 2013 with Recommended Record, also released on their own label.