Gentle Friendly

Gentle Friendly emerged from South London in 2007, established by singer/keyboardist David Morris and drummer Daniel Boyle after a friend salvaged a drum kit from the trash and the duo collected vintage keyboards such as the Casio MT-40. Their sound fuses raucous yet immersive textures, drawing on Animal Collective’s hazy melodies, No Age’s outbursts, glitchy electronics, and hip-hop-infused rhythms. An initial configuration incorporated guitar, yet Morris soon discarded the strings in favor of more mobile keyboards. The Night Tape EP, released in 2008 on the No Pain in Pop label, revealed their crackling vitality and strangely emotional layers, although the band shifted to Upset the Rhythm for the 2009 digital single “RIP Static”/“Clean Breaker.” Their debut album Ride Slow reached the U.K. market in late 2009 and arrived in the U.S. the following February.