Biography
Hailing from New York City, indie rock outfit Cymbals Eat Guitars issued its first full-length album to widespread critical notice in 2009. The group had formed the previous year and features Joseph D'Agostino, who records under the alias Joseph Ferocious and handles vocals and guitars, alongside Matt Cohen on guitar, Neil Berenholz on bass, Matthew Miller on drums, and Daniel Baer on keyboards. Chief songwriter D'Agostino initially teamed with Miller during high school, where the pair covered tracks from Weezer's opening two albums beginning in tenth grade; by senior year they had shifted to originals and captured a demo called Joseph Ferocious. While attending college D'Agostino posted on Craigslist to recruit additional players, ultimately completing the roster that adopted the name Cymbals Eat Guitars in early 2008.
A debut live set caught the ear of engineer Kyle "Slick" Johnson, previously behind the boards for Modest Mouse's We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank from 2007 and the Hives' The Black and White Album the same year. Johnson reached out after the show and volunteered to helm the band's recordings. Cymbals Eat Guitars first appeared on the 2008 Indiecater, Vol. 1: An MP3hugger Compilation with the track "Share." Their self-released debut Why There Are Mountains arrived the next year under Johnson's supervision and earned widespread acclaim, including Pitchfork's Best New Music designation.
Further praise linked the music to Modest Mouse, Pavement, and Built to Spill while spotlighting D'Agostino's age and rising indie profile. Shortly afterward the lineup shifted when Baer and Berenholz exited for personal reasons, replaced by keyboardist Brian Hamilton and bassist Matt Whipple. The band joined Barsuk Records in 2011 and entered the studio with John Agnello to cut its sophomore effort, Lenses Alien, issued that summer. Three years passed before Lose surfaced in 2014, now featuring drummer Andrew Dole. Cohen's subsequent departure left D'Agostino as the only remaining founding member on 2016's Pretty Years, tracked with producer John Congleton, known for work with St. Vincent and Explosions in the Sky.
A debut live set caught the ear of engineer Kyle "Slick" Johnson, previously behind the boards for Modest Mouse's We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank from 2007 and the Hives' The Black and White Album the same year. Johnson reached out after the show and volunteered to helm the band's recordings. Cymbals Eat Guitars first appeared on the 2008 Indiecater, Vol. 1: An MP3hugger Compilation with the track "Share." Their self-released debut Why There Are Mountains arrived the next year under Johnson's supervision and earned widespread acclaim, including Pitchfork's Best New Music designation.
Further praise linked the music to Modest Mouse, Pavement, and Built to Spill while spotlighting D'Agostino's age and rising indie profile. Shortly afterward the lineup shifted when Baer and Berenholz exited for personal reasons, replaced by keyboardist Brian Hamilton and bassist Matt Whipple. The band joined Barsuk Records in 2011 and entered the studio with John Agnello to cut its sophomore effort, Lenses Alien, issued that summer. Three years passed before Lose surfaced in 2014, now featuring drummer Andrew Dole. Cohen's subsequent departure left D'Agostino as the only remaining founding member on 2016's Pretty Years, tracked with producer John Congleton, known for work with St. Vincent and Explosions in the Sky.
Albums
Singles
