Black Foxxes

English power trio Black Foxxes fuse grunge and indie rock from the 1990s with emo and alt-country textures from the early 2000s, yielding a raw, emotionally charged sound. Guitarist and vocalist Mark Holley, bassist Tristan Jane, and drummer Ant Thornton formed the band in Exeter, Devon, after the three longtime friends first connected as youths while playing in multiple groups within the city’s tight-knit, vibrant local circuit. Only months after coming together, they released their self-issued debut EP Pines in 2014, drawing from Neil Young, Ryan Adams, Nirvana, and Radiohead; critics lauded its unfiltered emotion and sincerity, the record moved briskly beyond the West Country, and relentless touring helped solidify their growing audience.

The band joined Universal’s Spinefarm imprint in 2015 and issued the terse, abrasive grunge cut “Husk,” whose disquieting video drew widespread acclaim, followed by prominent appearances at Reading and Download. Their debut album I’m Not Well was announced in 2016; its title-track single revealed additional 1990s echoes, most clearly those of Pearl Jam. Reiði, the follow-up, emerged in March 2018 after frontman Mark Holley’s Icelandic travels supplied its creative spark. Over the subsequent eighteen months Holley shaped the next record, the self-titled Black Foxxes. At the start of 2020 Thorton and Jane departed, prompting Holley to recruit longtime associate Jack Henley on bass and Finn McClean on drums; the reconstituted lineup collaborated once more with Ade Bushby, who had produced and recorded the prior two albums, expanding the group’s sonic palette before the album appeared late in 2020.