White Hills

Evoking the spirit and sound of space rock pioneers like Hawkwind, White Hills capture the expansive rock sound of the '70s with their brand of trippy, synth-heavy rock & roll. Formed in New York City as the brainchild of singer and guitarist Dave W., the band also consisted of bassist Ego Sensation and drummer Lee Hinshaw; they got their first break when Julian Cope released their album They've Got Blood Like We've Got Blood on his own label in 2005. This kicked off a prolific string of releases, starting in 2007 with Abstractions & Mutations, released on Drug Space, and the self-released Glitter Glamour Atrocity (which was reissued by Thrill Jockey in 2014). Keeping the albums coming, the band self-released Little Bliss Forever in 2009, as well as Dead and Heads on Fire, both released by Thrill Jockey. In 2010, the expansive trio hooked up with Manchester-based psychedelic drone collective Gnod for Gnod Drop Out with White Hills II. The collaborations continued with the self-titled White Hills, which featured fellow New Yorker and Oneida drummer Kid Million on drums. Keeping the Oneida connection strong, the band returned to its Ocropolis studio to work on their next album with Shahin Motia, resulting in 2011's H-P1. Not wasting any time, the band went back into the studio later that year, bringing synth player (and Julian Cope drummer) Antronhy and touring drummer Nick Name into the studio with them to record the spacy and more refined Frying on This Rock, which was released in 2012. A fair amount of touring and smaller releases filled up 2012, with several live recordings and split releases leading up to 2013's bludgeoning full-length So You Are... So You'll Be.