Neon Trees

Neon Trees craft intelligent, infectious pop by fusing new wave, dance, and indie ingredients, a signature confirmed by multi-platinum successes “Animal” and “Everybody Talks.” Although their melody-driven approach recalls the Strokes, close associates the Killers, and touring partners Duran Duran, the quartet carves out its own identity apart from both contemporaries and inspirations. Tyler Glenn’s songwriting largely accounts for that separation, tracing relational dynamics with sharp yet familiar detail from the 2010 album Habits onward and reaching deeper emotional territory on 2014’s Pop Psychology, which examines his own coming-out experiences. Following an extended pause, the 2020 album I Can Feel You Forgetting Me delivered a more seasoned rendering of the group’s sleek yet sincere sound.

The group’s story begins with vocalist and keyboardist Glenn and guitarist Chris Allen, who grew up together in Southern California. When Allen relocated to Provo, Utah for college, self-taught musician Glenn joined him. There they met bassist Branden Campbell and drummer and vocalist Elaine Bradley, the latter originally from Chicago and already experienced in bands since picking up guitar at age fourteen before shifting to drums. The quartet began performing as Neon Trees in late 2005, sharpening their new-wave-inflected sound through local gigs. Their debut EP, 2006’s Becoming Different People, appeared while they toured California. The band’s breakthrough arrived when the Killers’ drummer Ronnie Vannucci, previously a ska-band colleague of Campbell, caught them at a Las Vegas show and invited them to open several dates on the Killers’ 2008 North American tour.

Early in 2009 Neon Trees secured a Mercury Records contract and earned Band of the Year honors from Salt Lake City’s City Weekly. Their Mercury debut, Habits, landed in March 2010 and climbed to number 113 on the Billboard 200. Single “Animal” broke through, peaking at number 13 on the Hot 100 that November, later achieving double-platinum certification and winning the 2011 Billboard Music Award for Top Alternative Song. Toward the end of 2010 the band issued holiday single “Wish List” and the live EP iTunes Live from SoHo.

Extensive touring alongside Thirty Seconds to Mars, My Chemical Romance, and Duran Duran further raised Neon Trees’ profile. In November 2011 they notched another hit with “Lessons in Love (All Day and All Night),” a collaboration with house producer Kaskade that reached number 94 on the Hot 100; a guitar-driven version later surfaced on the April 2012 album Picture Show. More rock-oriented yet also more electronic than Habits, Picture Show became the band’s first Top 20 album soon after release. Its lead single, “Everybody Talks,” also prospered, hitting number six on the Hot 100 that September. Throughout 2012 and 2013 the group maintained a heavy schedule, sharing bills with everyone from Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift to the Offspring and the Flaming Lips.

In 2013 Neon Trees reunited with Habits producer Tim Pagnotta to record in Cabo San Lucas, Los Angeles, and Provo. January 2014 brought first taste “Sleeping with a Friend,” which climbed to number 51 on the Hot 100 and previewed a more refined direction. March saw Glenn publicly acknowledge he was gay, a personal revelation echoed throughout the band’s third album, April’s Pop Psychology. The record debuted at number six on the Billboard 200, and in May Neon Trees received a BMI Pop Award for “Sleeping with a Friend.” After supporting the album on the road, the band released non-album single “Songs I Can’t Listen To” in May 2015. In April 2016 Glenn launched his solo career with brash electro-pop track “Trash,” which sparked debate for critiquing the conservative values of his former Mormon faith. Solo debut Excommunication followed that October, further unpacking Glenn’s departure from religion.

Beyond the 2017 single “Feel Good,” Neon Trees largely stepped back while Glenn pursued outside work, including a 2018 Broadway turn in Kinky Boots. Stage experience reignited his desire to collaborate with the band, prompting them to begin a fourth album in 2019. November saw the release of “Used to Like,” which reached the U.S. Top Ten. July 2020 brought I Can Feel You Forgetting Me, an album shaped by fleeting relationships of the late 2010s and early 2020s. That same year Glenn contributed “Somebody to Tell Me” to the Love, Victor soundtrack. Holiday single “Holiday Rock” arrived in 2021, followed by 2023’s “Losing My Head,” the lead track from fifth album Sink Your Teeth. Released in September 2024 and produced by Dan Book and Joe Janiak, the record juxtaposed raw rock energy with polished pop craftsmanship.