Assassins

In 2002 Aaron Miller and Joe Cassidy founded the Chicago-based new wave and electro-pop act Assassins. A committed hometown audience quickly translated into opening slots alongside Duran Duran, Interpol, and VHS or Beta. Vocalist Merritt Lear, keyboard player David Golitko, and bassist Alex Kemp had joined by the point the band entered the studio in 2005 alongside producer Stephen Hague and Radiohead engineer Graeme Stewart to finish its debut album. Released in 2006 on the Chemicals Kill label, that album carried the title You Will Changed Us. Co-founder Joe Cassidy died on July 17, 2021.