Les Savy Fav

Delivering incisive yet captivating post-hardcore defined by intricate melodic contours, razor-edged guitar work, and ample quirky humor—their moniker, for instance, suggests French roots without carrying any actual meaning—Les Savy Fav prove that cerebral artistry and unfiltered entertainment can thrive together. Fronted by vocalist Tim Harrington, the band earned notice for its clever, angular songwriting and relentless drive on 1999's The Cat and the Cobra before adopting a more seasoned yet still nervy sound across 2007's Let's Stay Friends and 2010's Root for Ruin. Although side projects, among them regular late-night television appearances, dominated the ensuing decade, the assured 2024 album Oui, LSF signaled a confident return to prominence.

Five friends enrolled at the Rhode Island School of Design launched Les Savy Fav in 1995. Vocalist Tim Harrington, guitarists Seth Thom Jabour and Gibb Slife, bassist Syd Butler, and drummer Patrick Mahoney began writing and rehearsing during academic breaks, then spent two years performing in East Coast venues until Sub Pop Records in Seattle offered them a single after hearing about their growing reputation. “Rodeo” b/w “Blackouts on Thursday” appeared in November 1997, and by year’s end the group had finished its debut full-length, 3/5, issued on the independent Self-Starter Foundation label. Audiences expanded steadily, drawn by the band’s distinctive sound and Harrington’s flamboyant stage presence, which sometimes featured elaborate costumes and direct forays into the crowd.

For their sophomore album, 1999's The Cat and the Cobra, the members chose Frenchkiss Records, the independent imprint started by bassist Butler. Drummer Harrison Haynes had by then replaced Patrick Mahoney. The following year guitarist Gibb Slife exited, reducing the lineup to a quartet; their first release in that configuration, Go Forth, arrived in October 2001 after the well-received EP Emor: Rome Upside Down. In 2004 the band gathered scattered small-label singles onto the compilation Inches while maintaining a heavier touring schedule that began to strain Harrington, who was raising a family, and Butler, whose Frenchkiss roster was expanding with acts such as the Hold Steady, Passion Pit, and Local Natives.

An indefinite hiatus was announced in 2005, yet the break proved brief. Recording resumed by late 2006, and the group returned to the stage in May 2007 at the British All Tomorrow's Parties festival. Let's Stay Friends appeared on Frenchkiss that September to strong reviews; the album introduced guitarist Andrew Reuland and featured guests including Toko Yasuda of Enon and Blonde Redhead, Eleanor Friedberger of the Fiery Furnaces, and comedian-percussionist Fred Armisen. A New Year’s Eve 2008 performance yielded the digital-only live set After the Balls Drop, and the fifth studio album, Root for Ruin, followed in mid-2010.

Once the Root for Ruin touring cycle ended, Les Savy Fav entered an unofficial hiatus. They co-curated the 2011 All Tomorrow's Parties Nightmare Before Christmas festival alongside Battles and Caribou and played Spain’s 20th annual Primavera Sound, but otherwise remained largely inactive. Guitarist Seth Thom Jabour and bassist Syd Butler joined the 8G Band, the house ensemble Fred Armisen assembled for Late Night with Seth Meyers; the 8G Band also includes Eli Janney, formerly of Girls Against Boys. In February 2024 the group ended its silence with the single “Legendary Tipper,” which previewed the sixth album Oui, LSF, issued by Frenchkiss in May 2024.