Chief

Formed during the late 2000s, the indie rock group Chief took shape in Santa Monica through the combined efforts of Evan Koga, Mike Moonves, and siblings Danny and Michael Fujikawa. Although their taste for luminous Pacific Ocean roots rock in the vein of the Beach Boys and Tom Petty might imply a West Coast beginning, these California natives first evolved from friends into a working band while studying at New York University. A wide-ranging mix of sounds stretching across decades—the Band, Fleet Foxes, Neil Young, and Band of Horses—eventually led them to Domino Records; once they returned to California, Chief set about crafting their first full-length effort. That album, Modern Rituals, appeared on August 17, 2010.