Incubus

Emerging as a leading force among alternative metal acts at the start of the new millennium, Incubus distinguished itself from countless peers through constant live performances and an expansive range of sounds. Their approach fused heavy metal with funk, jazz, hip-hop, techno, post-grunge, and alternative rock, propelling them into the mainstream in 1999 via the multi-platinum third album Make Yourself and its chart-topping single "Drive." Sustaining dominance throughout the following decade, the group issued successive gold- and platinum-certified releases including Morning View (2001), A Crow Left of the Murder... (2004), and Light Grenades (2006), before capping that era with a greatest-hits collection in 2009. The subsequent ten years emphasized extensive touring while still yielding two additional studio albums—If Not Now, When? in 2011 and 8 in 2017—alongside occasional singles and EPs that further broadened their sonic range. On 2024's Morning View XXIII the band revisited and re-recorded their highly successful fourth album.

The group originated in 1991 within the San Fernando Valley community of Calabasas, California, where tenth-grade classmates Brandon Boyd on vocals and percussion, Mike Einziger on guitar, Alex Katunich (also known as Dirk Lance) on bass, and José Pasillas on drums formed the initial lineup. Early material drew heavily from the Red Hot Chili Peppers' funk-metal style yet gradually incorporated thrash, rap-metal, post-grunge, and grinding alt-metal reminiscent of Korn or the Deftones. By high-school graduation the musicians were already performing regularly at all-ages venues across Southern California. In 1995 they recruited hip-hop turntablist DJ Lyfe (also known as Gavin Koppel) and issued the independent album Fungus Amongus, which together with their growing regional popularity secured a contract with the Epic Records imprint Immortal.

Their initial major-label outing arrived as the six-song EP Enjoy Incubus in early 1997, featuring studio-refined versions of earlier demos. The full-length debut S.C.I.E.N.C.E. appeared later that same year. Incubus then toured aggressively, supporting acts such as Korn, Primus, 311, Sublime, and Unwritten Law. Sufficient momentum by 1998 earned them a slot on the summer Ozzfest bill; they closed the year on Korn's first Family Values tour after DJ Lyfe exited and DJ Kilmore (Chris) joined. Building on this exposure, the band returned to the studio for Make Yourself, released in late 1999. Fresh from another Ozzfest run in 2000, they capitalized on the rising single "Pardon Me" to enlarge their audience.

Although Make Yourself only reached the lower half of the Top 50, its persistent sales eventually surpassed double-platinum status. Follow-up single "Stellar" achieved modest rock-radio traction, yet the album's largest success surfaced in 2001 when "Drive" became their first Top Ten pop hit. That summer the group joined Moby's Area:One package tour, and with "Drive" still prominent they issued Morning View in fall 2001. The album debuted at number two, affirming Incubus's ascent to stardom. Tracks "Wish You Were Here," "Nice to Know You," and "Warning" received substantial rock-airplay support, prompting headline tours.

Early 2003 brought a contract dispute with Sony, prompting the band to file suit under California labor statutes seeking termination. In April bassist Dirk Lance departed, and within days guitarist Mike Einziger invited Time Lapse Consortium colleague Ben Kenney—previously of the Roots—to assume the role permanently. Despite these shifts the group remained with Sony and delivered A Crow Left of the Murder... on Epic/Immortal in early 2004, which entered the Billboard Top 200 at number two. After further touring they paused in November for rest.

Over the next two years members pursued separate projects in music, art, film, and literature while completing their sixth album, tracked across a year in Los Angeles and Atlanta. Light Grenades appeared in November 2006 and debuted at number one. Individual pursuits resumed until Boyd announced a loose hiatus in early 2008; the following year nevertheless produced the double-LP compilation Monuments and Melodies and a summer tour. By 2010 the band reconvened with longtime collaborator Brendan O'Brien for the darker-leaning If Not Now, When?, which entered the Billboard charts at number two upon its July 2011 release.

To promote that album Incubus leased a storefront on LaBrea Avenue in Los Angeles for a multimedia career retrospective featuring four nights of live performances, later compiled as the 2012 album Incubus HQ Live. Early 2015 brought the single "Absolution Calling," included on the first of two planned EPs, Trust Fall (Side A). February 2017 introduced "Nimble Bastard" ahead of the eighth studio album, 8, co-produced by Skrillex and released in April with preceding single "Glitterbomb." The next year yielded "Into the Summer" and a major U.S. tour marking the twentieth anniversary of Make Yourself; a second single, "Our Love," followed in early 2020. Both songs appeared on Trust Fall (Side B), issued that April.

Plans for 2021 to mark the twentieth anniversary of the double-platinum 2001 album Morning View were postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead the band performed a livestream from the original Morning View house, which proved so successful that they chose to re-record the entire album. Captured with the original core members Boyd, Einziger, Kilmore, and Pasillas plus new bassist Nicole Row, 2024's Morning View XXIII adhered closely to the source material while benefiting from two decades of experience and refined production techniques. Release was celebrated with a brief U.S. tour presenting the album in full.