Man Man

The experimental indie outfit Man Man builds its identity on daring compositions paired with unconventional structures. At the group's center stands bandleader and chief songwriter Honus Honus, born Ryan Kattner, whose boundary-pushing instincts guided the collective from its surreal and untamed early recordings toward a comparatively accessible sensibility on the 2011 release Life Fantastic.

Honus assembled the project in Philadelphia during 2003, anchoring the lineup as singer and keyboardist while surrounding himself with a rotating cast of multi-instrumentalists that originally featured Tiberius Lyn, Clint Killingsworth, and Steven Dufala. The ensemble drew upon a broad array of influences, shaping its formative period through raucous, high-octane live shows and a raw blend of unhinged rock with warped ragtime piano pieces. That approach defined both the 2004 debut The Man in a Blue Turban with a Face and the 2006 successor Six Demon Bag. By the latter album, Lyn had departed and Pow Wow, real name Chris Powell, had joined as drummer and songwriter. As the group solidified its footing, the remaining members added Brown Sugar, born Adam Schatz, and Shono Murphy, born Bryan Murphy, once Killingsworth and Dufala exited. Following Six Demon Bag, the band maintained an active touring schedule that included support slots for Modest Mouse alongside its own headline runs. Growing recognition also brought placements of its songs across advertisements and television programs. Across the span of 2008’s Rabbit Habits, 2011’s Life Fantastic, and 2013’s Oni Oni Pond, the quartet shifted toward a more conventional pop framework while retaining its idiosyncratic character. Concurrent with this move toward a refined aesthetic, Honus began issuing solo projects that encompassed multiple personal albums plus a collection of children’s music. Stationed in Los Angeles by 2020, the band aligned with Sub Pop to deliver its sixth studio effort, Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In-Between, marking the first new material in more than seven years.