Humanist emerged as a U.K.-based venture led by Teesside-born guitarist Rob Marshall, previously of Lyca Sleep and Exit Calm, who shaped an industrial rock foundation suited for radio while folding in post-punk, synth pop, and folk elements. The lineup of contributors on the project’s first album, Humanist, issued in 2020, encompassed Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan, Ride’s Mark Gardener, Ron Sexsmith, and Jim Jones. Four years afterward Marshall reconvened the collective for the July 2024 follow-up, On the Edge of a Lost and Lonely World.
Marshall’s early years involved extended guitar sessions with Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys records. He launched his initial group, Lyca Sleep, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, during 2000; the band issued several shoegaze-tinged singles and shared stages with Engineers and the Warlocks. After that outfit dissolved, Marshall joined Simon Lindley and Scott Pemberton in the short-lived Blind Shore, which soon expanded with Nicky Smith to become Exit Calm. The Verve-styled quartet achieved modest recognition starting in 2006 through a pair of albums, a Glastonbury appearance, and support slots at sizable venues for Echo & the Bunnymen and Doves. Exit Calm’s 2015 breakup left Marshall disenchanted with standard industry routines of composing, rehearsing, tracking, touring, and marketing, prompting him to explore a more flexible solo outlet that evolved into Humanist.
Prior to formalizing the project he contributed songwriting to Mark Lanegan’s well-received 2017 release Gargoyle. That collaboration spurred Marshall to generate a series of fully realized instrumental tracks carrying suggested titles and themes, which he forwarded to potential vocalists so they could supply original lyrics and melodies.
The first public Humanist recording, the atmospheric “Ring of Truth” with literary polymath Carl Hancock Rux, surfaced in June 2019. August brought “English Ghosts,” a Krautrock-leaning number developed alongside the Membranes’ John Robb. “Shock Collar,” unveiled the following January and spotlighting Gahan, merged dark and euphoric tones just ahead of the debut album. Marshall assembled a live unit for a March U.K. tour comprising Pemberton on drums, Tatia Starkey of Bela Kiss on bass, and Puressence’s James Mudriczki delivering near-falsetto vocals.
Preparation for the second album included European support dates for Depeche Mode, where Marshall, Pemberton, and bassist Wendy Rae Fowler were joined by vocalists Jimmy Gnecco of Ours and James Cox of Crows. New singles such as “The Beginning,” “Too Many Rivals,” and “Brother” preceded the July 2024 arrival of On the Edge of a Lost and Lonely World, which again featured Rux, Gahan, and Madman Butterfly while introducing Ed Harcourt, Tim Smith, and additional guests.
