Geographer

Geographer first took shape in San Francisco as a trio of former music majors devoted to vibrant electro-meets-indie pop, unveiling their debut album Innocent Ghosts in 2008. After the 2015 release of Ghost Modern, main songwriter Mike Deni carried the project forward alone, issuing its fourth album Down and Out in the Garden of Earthly Delights as a double album in November 2021.

Deni’s move to the Bay Area from his New Jersey hometown in 2005, prompted by family difficulties, set the project in motion. Over the following months he wrote material on guitar and a discarded synthesizer recovered from the street. He had previously met Nathan Blaz, who handles cello and electronics, and Brian Ostreicher, who plays drums and sings, while all three attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 2006 the three formally assembled as Geographer, honing their sound through local performances until Innocent Ghosts appeared in 2008. The following year “The Morning” appeared in the trailer for the film New York, I Love You, and the group was named to SPIN’s Undiscovered Bands You Need to Hear Now list. Shortly thereafter they joined Tricycle Records, which issued the buoyant synth-driven single “Kites” in 2009 and the darker Animal Shapes EP in 2010. Tracks from the EP gained additional attention after placement in MTV’s Awkward. and The Buried Life. Early in 2011 Geographer shifted to the Modern Art label. Eli Crews produced and Chris Zane mixed the February 2012 follow-up Myth, an album that also marked the band’s first appearance on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart; both producers had previously collaborated on recordings by tUnE-yArDs, Passion Pit, and Deerhoof.

Extensive festival appearances and tours alongside Miniature Tigers, On an On, and Tokyo Police Club preceded the 2015 signing with Roll Call Records for the third album Ghost Modern. Although tracked as a trio, Blaz and Ostreicher departed before touring began, prompting Deni to assemble a new live lineup that supported a headlining run and a performance at SXSW. Still on Roll Call, Deni alone recorded the covers EP Endless Motion, Vol. 1, released before the close of 2015 and featuring interpretations of songs originally by Paul Simon, New Order, and Kate Bush. The self-released EPs Alone Time and New Jersey followed in 2018 and 2019, respectively, setting the stage for the six-year gap that ended with the November 2021 arrival of Down and Out in the Garden of Earthly Delights.