Echobelly

Echobelly emerged as a counterpoint to the male-dominated Brit-pop movement of the era. Born in India and raised in Britain, vocalist Sonya Madan challenged numerous lyrical norms associated with that movement, even as the band's thunderous guitar attack—drawing equally from the Smiths, glam, and new wave—settled easily into the framework of British indie during the 1990s. Arriving on the scene in 1993, the group issued the single "Bellyache" at the precise moment Brit-pop began its ascent, sustaining its popularity through the middle of the decade as both Everyone's Got One (1994) and On (1995) climbed into the U.K. Top 10. The band persisted until splitting in 2004 following the appearance of Gravity Pulls, only for Madan and guitarist Glenn Johansson to re-form the lineup in 2009 and stage a complete return in 2017 via Anarchy and Alchemy.

Raised in a strict household that rejected rock & roll, Madan joined forces with native Swede Glenn Johansson—who had once served as editor of the adult publication Eros in his homeland—to establish Echobelly in 1993. They enlisted bassist Alex Keyser and drummer Andy Henderson, later adding guitarist Debbie Smith, formerly of Curve, after the Pandemonium label put out the debut single "Bellyache" in 1994; it climbed to number 15 on the British indie listings. The band advanced to Rhythm King, an Epic subsidiary, in 1994 and unveiled "Insomniac" that March, followed by "I Can't Imagine the World Without Me" in June and the full-length Everyone's Got One in October. The album debuted at number eight on the charts yet stirred limited attention in America after its spring 1995 release there.

British indie guitar music had captured widespread attention by summer 1995, positioning Echobelly for broader success. Internal difficulties surfaced, including Madan's thyroid condition and the replacement of bassist Alex Keyser by James Harris after On was tracked, yet the group still secured three Top 40 singles from that 1995 album: "Great Things," "King of the Kerb," and "Dark Therapy." The 1997 release Lustra, which included the Top 40 track "The World Is Flat" and appeared shortly after Smith's exit, marked the start of a gradual commercial decline. Following a hiatus, the band resurfaced in 2001 with People Are Expensive and issued one more album, Gravity Pulls, in 2004 before disbanding.

Madan and Johansson reconvened for an acoustic performance in 2009 that reignited their creative alliance. They intended to issue an album titled I Seek Identity under the name Calm of Zero, though the project never appeared. Calm of Zero did put out two Acoustic Sessions EPs, one in 2011 and another in 2012, but after expanded reissues of Everyone's Got One and On in 2014 the duo opted to reactivate Echobelly with bassist Oliver McKiernan and drummer Ash Hall joining the fold. The refreshed group resumed live shows in 2015 and completed a new record, Anarchy and Alchemy, issued in summer 2017.