Blue October

Hailing from Texas, Blue October crafts an intense fusion of emotionally raw post-grunge and polished contemporary rock. Their breakthrough arrived in 2006 via the platinum-certified fourth album Foiled, propelled by the number-one singles "Hate Me" and "Into the Ocean," after which they evolved across subsequent releases from the radio-friendly post-grunge sound of 2011's Any Man in America toward expansive synth-driven rock marked by theatrical flair on 2016's Home. The first half of a double-album project, Spinning the Truth Around, surfaced in 2022, with Volume 2 completing the set the following year.

Justin Furstenfeld founded the group in Houston during 1995, initially shaping anguished rock material alongside his drummer brother Jeremy Furstenfeld and violinist Ryan Delahoussaye. Bassist Liz Mullally rounded out the early roster, enabling an independent debut, The Answers, in 1998 that moved 5,000 copies locally through the band's heartfelt post-grunge approach. Universal issued their major-label follow-up, Consent to Treatment, two years later after Matt Noveskey replaced Mullally on bass.

Guitarist and vocalist C.B. Hudson joined prior to the third album, History for Sale, released in 2003; its lead single "Calling You" reached the Top 40 after appearing on the American Wedding soundtrack. Eighteen months of touring preceded the 2004 live release Argue with a Tree. Noveskey, who had stepped away briefly in 2002 for health reasons, rejoined for the 2006 studio effort Foiled, which earned platinum status within a year on the strength of its two major singles. Universal/Motown followed with the 2007 two-disc collection Foiled for the Last Time, containing the complete original album, fourteen new live tracks, and alternate remixes, just before a September tour with Yellowcard.

Producer Steve Lillywhite helmed sessions for the fifth studio album, Approaching Normal, which emerged in early 2009 after mid-2008 recording. Frontman Justin Furstenfeld's mental health struggles, later discussed publicly, shortened the accompanying tour. Two 2011 releases followed: the live acoustic set Ugly Side: An Acoustic Evening with Blue October, captured in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, and the darker Any Man in America, shaped by Furstenfeld's divorce and custody loss. After treatment and rehab, the more optimistic seventh album Sway appeared in 2013, funded via PledgeMusic. Furstenfeld issued the solo voice-and-guitar collection Songs from an Open Book in 2014, featuring reinterpretations of material from Blue October and his prior band the Last Wish. The full group reconvened for the concert film Things We Do at Night (Live from Texas), taped at the Dallas House of Blues in November 2014 and released twelve months later.

Their eighth studio album, Home, arrived to strong reviews in spring 2016, though Hudson soon suffered injuries from a biking accident that led Matthew Ostrander to handle lead guitar on tour. The ninth album, I Hope You're Happy, followed in early 2018, succeeded in 2019 by the concert recording Live from Manchester. Singles "Completely" and "Moving On (So Long)" preceded 2021's This Is What I Live For. Spinning the Truth Around launched the double-album sequence in 2022, with its second volume appearing the next year.