Icon For Hire

Icon for Hire blend anthemic guitar-driven rock with electronic elements, powerful vocals, and lyrics focused on empowerment. Their initial release on Tooth & Nail, the 2011 album Scripted, propelled them into mainstream recognition, while later independent projects such as You Can't Kill Us from 2016 and Amorphous in 2021 kept them prominent in contemporary rock.

Established in Decatur, Illinois during 2007, the group centers on Ariel Bloomer handling vocals and Shawn Jump on guitar. They avoid labeling themselves as a Christian rock band, yet like influences U2 and Paramore, their music often explores spiritual topics. From 2007 through 2009, two EPs came out alongside extensive Midwest tours that helped cultivate a dedicated audience. The full-length debut Scripted arrived via Tooth & Nail Records in 2011. Their follow-up self-titled effort in 2013 on the same label entered the Billboard 200 at position 66 and included the track "Cynics & Critics." Due to creative, ideological, and technical divergences, departure from Tooth & Nail occurred in 2015, prompting a Kickstarter campaign for the next studio album. You Can't Kill Us emerged independently the year after. Independence persisted with Still Can't Kill Us: Acoustic Sessions in 2018 and Amorphous in 2021, the latter showcasing singles "Last One Standing" and "Curse or Cure."