Other Lives

Oklahoma's Other Lives craft a richly textured sound that fuses ornate Baroque pop, shadowy electro-tinged alt-rock, windswept atmospherics, and sweeping, Morricone-inspired Americana, yielding music that feels both lavish and steeped in shadow. The ensemble first surfaced in 2009, then broke through in 2012 via the warmly received Tamer Animals and a support slot on Radiohead's North American run. Their expansive, cinematic approach continued to evolve across later releases such as Rituals in 2015 and For Their Love in 2020.

Originally launched in 2004 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, as the instrumental outfit Kunek, the project issued its lone album, Flight of the Flynns, on Play Tyme Records in 2006 before vocals were integrated and the name changed to Other Lives. Core members Jesse Tabish on piano, guitar, and lead vocals, Jonathon Mooney handling piano, violin, guitar, percussion, and trumpet, and Josh Onstott covering bass, keys, percussion, guitar, and backing vocals brought in drummer and engineer Joey Waronker—known for his work with Walt Mink, Beck, and R.E.M.—to produce their self-titled debut, which arrived at the end of 2008.

Placement of several tracks on Grey's Anatomy helped raise their profile ahead of the May 2011 release of the lauded sophomore album Tamer Animals on TBD Records. Further exposure arrived in 2012 through an appearance at Coachella and an opening slot on one portion of Radiohead's U.S. tour. That same year saw the arrival of the EP Mind the Gap, while the lush Rituals followed in 2015 and earned praise on both sides of the Atlantic. The 2020 album For Their Love turned its attention to questions of self-worth and existential unease amid political and economic upheaval.