Epic45

Longtime friends Ben Holton and Robert Glover launched the independent post-rock outfit Epic45 in 1995, shaping a sound rich in cool textures that merge electronic and organic elements. Rooted in a Staffordshire town amid England’s rural Midlands, the pair first united when Holton, handling guitars and keyboards, and Glover, on guitar and bass, were barely 13. Drawing from the bolder sides of Mogwai and Spiritualized, they began performing live in 1998 and issued their debut vinyl EP Shorebound the next year. With drummer Mark Oldfield and keyboardist Scott Massey contributing to the sessions, the release received spins on John Peel’s BBC program, prompting the teenagers to treat music as a serious vocation.

Before long they appeared alongside Muse, Rothko, and Do Make Say Think, then delivered their debut full-length Secrets, Signs and Threats in 2001—delayed only because Holton and Glover paused recording to complete their A-level exams. Although collaborators joined them onstage and in the studio, the two remained Epic45’s nucleus; by the arrival of May Your Heart Be the Map in 2007 they stood as its only steady members and performed nearly every instrument themselves. The duo maintained a steady studio output, issuing numerous singles, EPs, and limited-run projects between albums while mounting sporadic live tours. Weathering appeared in 2011; the following year an alternate edition, Weathered, emerged after the pair asked kindred artists to “weather” the songs so they would evoke the passage of time. Away from Epic45, Holton works under the name My Autumn Empire, and he and Glover have also released material as Portraits of Diego.