EN

Formed in San Francisco, the experimental ambient pair En unites Maxwell August Croy, who established the Root Strata imprint alongside Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, with James Devane. Drawing on guitars, pianos, organs, tapes, toy instruments, and computer processing, they shape warm, introspective works that remain rich and melodic while staying mostly calm, though faint currents of noisy distortion sometimes surface. Joint recording began in 2009, followed by their first California performances the next year. The Absent Coast, their opening full-length, surfaced on Root Strata as 2010 closed. Shows reached Portland and Brooklyn in 2011, and Alex Cobb’s Students of Decay label issued the follow-up Already Gone in 2012. Directly afterward the duo toured Japan with Grouper and Cuushe. Further West Coast dates paired them with Illuha and Marcus Fischer, after which a split cassette with Jefre Cantu-Ledesma appeared on Constellation Tatsu near the end of 2012. In 2013 they supplied “White” to Ghostly International’s SMM: Opiate compilation, then played occasional shows while preparing a third album. Students of Decay released the double LP City of Brides late in 2015, accompanied by the self-released digital EP Blue Pink Orange White.