Following the 2009 dissolution of British Christian rock group Delirious?, frontman Martin Smith pursued an independent path that yielded several EPs. He had already worked on those projects alongside Jonny Bird on guitar, Steve Evans on bass, Sarah Bird on keys, and Reuben Harsant on drums, and in 2015 he assembled the same musicians into Army of Bones. Eager to distance themselves from the stigma often attached to worship ensembles, the band chose to keep any faith-based themes subdued so the songs themselves could take center stage. Drawing from Depeche Mode, U2, Radiohead, and Smith’s earlier outfit, the musicians entered the studio late in 2015 to track their first single. Batteries reached listeners that December, prompting the announcement of a brief U.K. tour scheduled for early 2016. While continuing to record and refine additional tracks, the group crossed the Atlantic for several U.S. shows, then returned home to complete the mixes for their first full-length effort. The self-titled album arrived at the start of 2017.
