PRIORY

Portland, Oregon duo Priory make laid-back left-field pop based around electronic beats, but with plenty of guitar and sweetly harmonizing vocals. Brandon Rush and Kyle Sears met in the early 2000s while living in the same rundown, multi-tenant bachelor pad, and struck up a long-running friendship based on their shared musical interests. After years of working on music together, they finally put together a band and in 2011 released a folk-inspired self-titled album on the Expunged label. The experience wasn't as rewarding as they'd hoped and the project was put on hold. After trimming down to a duo, quitting their day jobs, building a new studio in an old cement plant, and revamping their approach, Warner Bros. was sufficiently impressed with their new, poppier sound to sign the duo and release their first single, the relaxed summer anthem "Weekend," in June of 2014. A four song EP, titled "Weekend" was issued later that year, and the band set off on their first tour. Their second album, Need to Know, was scheduled for release early in 2015.