Lower Dens

Baltimore's Lower Dens first took shape as a vehicle for Jana Hunter's longstanding dark and mesmerizing songwriting. What started in 2010 as a heavily reverberant, guitar-driven indie rock group shifted toward dream pop once synthesizers and other electronic components entered the picture on the 2012 follow-up Nootropics.

Following years of solo touring, experimental folk artist Jana Hunter chose to pause constant travel and assembled a supporting ensemble for one last road trip. That outing proved far more rewarding than previous solo excursions, prompting Hunter to conclude that touring itself was not the issue; rather, performing angular solo material live had grown uncomfortable. Lower Dens arose from this shift, with Hunter handling vocals and guitar while recruiting Baltimore musicians Will Adams on second guitar, Geoff Graham on bass, and Abram Sanders on drums. The newly formed band rapidly developed a set of drifting, shadowy indie rock pieces that were recorded as the 2010 debut Twin Hand Movement. More rock-oriented than Hunter's earlier solo recordings, the album centered on atmospheric guitars supporting tense, emotionally charged vocals placed deep in the mix. Critics responded favorably, and Lower Dens toured extensively, sharpening their sound along the way. In 2011 Abram Sanders left the drum chair and was succeeded by Nate Nelson; additional guitarist and keyboardist Carter Tanton also joined.

Tanton's input, paired with Hunter's expanding curiosity about synthesizers and MIDI production, guided the dreamier, more electronic character of the 2012 sophomore album Nootropics. Early in 2015 the band moved still further into synth-based territory on its third studio album, Escape from Evil, issued by the Ribbon Music label. Four years passed before Hunter and the group delivered their fourth full-length, 2019's The Competition.