Murder By Death

Bloomington, Indiana outfit Murder by Death derived its name from the 1976 Neil Simon comedy. The ensemble fuses brooding, scholarly balladry with orchestral indie rock that incorporates country, folk, rock, and musical-theater elements. Referencing Johnny Cash and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, the musicians surfaced in the early 2000s amid dark post-rock and gothic Americana textures they describe as “whiskey devil music.” Relentless road work and their singular approach built a devoted, nearly cult-like audience that embraced the foreboding yet roots-driven atmosphere of In Bocca al Lupo (2006) and Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon (2012). The group opened the new decade with Spell/Bound in 2022.

Geoff Rickly of Thursday first encountered the band, then performing as Little Joe Gould, during a shared Bloomington bill. Rickly introduced the musicians to Eyeball Records founder Alex Saavedra, who signed them on the spot. The original lineup featured vocalist/guitarist Adam Turla, drummer Alex Schrodt, bassist Matt Armstrong, cellist Sarah Balliet, and pianist Vincent Edwards. They issued a self-titled 2001 EP as Little Joe Gould before adopting the Murder by Death moniker, which they believed better matched their ominous style influenced by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Johnny Cash, and the Decemberists.

Eyeball released the band’s debut full-length, Like the Exorcist But More Breakdancing, in August 2002. Early tours alongside Cursive, Interpol, and the American Analog Set preceded a summer 2003 split with Volta Do Mar. That fall they issued Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them?, a concept album depicting the Devil’s assault on a small Western town whose title referenced promotional copy for the horror film Last House on the Left. A benefit 7" commemorating Ten Grand’s Matt Davis appeared at year’s end, and further national exposure came from dates with Lucero, the Weakerthans, William Elliott Whitmore, and Rasputina.

Edwards departed amicably in mid-2004 to resume studies; when his touring replacement also exited by December, the remaining members continued as a quartet with a stronger rock emphasis while Balliet assumed keyboard duties in addition to cello. Following extensive touring, the musicians briefly returned to college before recording their third album. In May 2006 they released In Bocca al Lupo on their EastWest subsidiary Tent Show Records. Produced by J. Robbins (Against Me!, Dismemberment Plan), the conceptual work examined sin and redemption, drawing partial inspiration from Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, and a summer headline run featured Langhorne Slim as support.

March 2008 brought Red of Tooth and Claw on Vagrant Records. Good Morning, Magpie, their fifth studio album, followed in 2010. Two years later Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon appeared after a Kickstarter campaign that made Murder by Death the third-highest-earning band on the platform at the time; Bloodshot Records handled the CD and digital editions. Subsequent crowd-funded projects Big Dark Love (2015) and The Other Shore (2018) also came out via Bloodshot. In 2020 the group issued the seasonal collection Lonesome Holiday, featuring renditions of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Mele Kalikimaka.” Their tenth album, Spell/Bound, arrived in 2022; alongside lead single “Never Be,” the self-released set was accompanied by a limited-edition lyric book illustrated by twenty comic artists.