Everything Everything

Emerging from Manchester's late-2000s indie landscape, Everything Everything fused arty post-punk and synth-pop echoes from the 1980s with a kinetic, math-rock sensibility all their own. Anchored by Jonathan Higgs's singular falsetto and refusing any fixed template, the quartet balanced Michael Jackson-level accessibility with the cerebral density of Ezra Pound and Steve Reich, while openly citing the Beatles and Bowie as foundational wellsprings. Their Mercury Prize-nominated debut, Man Alive, arrived in 2010; two years later the follow-up Arc climbed to number five on the U.K. chart. The same peak position greeted 2017's A Fever Dream, which earned a second Mercury nomination, and 2020's RE-ANIMATOR, helmed by producer John Congleton. Refusing to sidestep pressing issues, the band channeled trauma and technology through A.I.-assisted lyrics on their sixth album, Raw Data Feel, released in 2022 and itself a U.K. Top Five entry that led directly into the conceptual sci-fi terrain of 2024's Mountainhead.

The group coalesced in late 2007 when drummer Mike Spearman, vocalist-guitarist-laptop operator Jonathan Higgs, bassist Jeremy Pritchard, and guitarist Alex Robertshaw—each adopting the collective surname Everything—began working together. XL Recordings took notice of their skewed, inventive style and issued the limited-edition 7-inch "Suffragette Suffragette" in 2008. After extensive touring, the breakthrough single "MY, KZ, UR BF" surfaced late the following year on the Young and Lost Club imprint, again as a limited 7-inch. The band soon appeared on the BBC Sound of 2010 longlist and quickly signed with Geffen Records.

Man Alive reached stores in August 2010, drawing widespread praise for its unpredictable, hook-driven pop; the acclaim translated into a 2011 Mercury Prize nomination and a support slot on Snow Patrol's arena trek across the U.K. Shifting to RCA, Everything Everything delivered the Cough Cough EP in mid-2012 before unveiling Arc the next year. Reuniting with producer David Kosten, the album showcased their restless genre-hopping approach, yielded their only Top 40 single to date with "Cough Cough," earned strong reviews, and reached number five in the U.K., prompting the quartet's first headlining European run.

A period of reduced activity in 2014 gave way to sessions for the third album with Stuart Price, known for his work with the Killers and Pet Shop Boys. Get to Heaven arrived in June 2015, peaking at number seven domestically. The politically charged single "I Believe It Now" surfaced in 2016 and gained exposure through BT Sport's Premier League coverage. Continuing that thematic thread, A Fever Dream—recorded with James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco and the Last Shadow Puppets—landed in August 2017, restoring the band to the U.K. Top Five. The four-track A Deeper Sea EP followed in February 2018, featuring a cover of Neil Young's "Don't Let It Bring You Down."

After leaving RCA, the quartet self-released their fifth album. Tracking took place in late 2019 with John Congleton once more at the helm; RE-ANIMATOR surfaced in September 2020 and again entered the U.K. Top Five. Seeking fresh methods, the members fed A.I. systems assorted source texts—T&Cs, forum posts, and Confucian teachings—to generate lyrics and imagery for 2022's Raw Data Feel. Guitarist Alex Robertshaw produced alongside longtime collaborator Tom Fuller (Kaines and Tom A.D.). The record topped the U.K. Independent Albums chart and reached number four on the main album listing. A 2023 reissue of Man Alive preceded work on the seventh album; Mountainhead, again co-produced by Robertshaw and Fuller, emerged in March 2024 as a fully analog sci-fi concept piece envisioning a capitalist future society erecting an enormous mountain.