Protomartyr

Led by the unpredictable wordsmith and vocalist Joe Casey, Detroit's post-punk quartet Protomartyr crafts muscular yet thoughtful soundscapes that hinge on shifting instrumental textures and raw physical force. Emerging from the regional Midwest circuit to build a global audience, their live sets wove spontaneous, rhythm-driven verse across the pounding churn of the rhythm section, lending the material a street-smart clarity equal to the players' intensity. The 2012 debut No Passion All Technique first established them locally; momentum grew once they joined the Sub Pop-affiliated Hardly Art roster. After issuing their third LP, The Agent Intellect, in 2015, the band drew widespread critical attention across North America and Europe, which in turn secured a move to Domino for the acclaimed 2017 release Relatives in Descent. Following a pandemic-enforced pause and a stretch of personal upheaval, the group resurfaced with Formal Growth in the Desert in 2023.

Guitarist Greg Ahee, bassist Scott Davidson, and drummer Alex Leonard launched the abrasive punk outfit Butt Babies in 2008, performing in small clubs and basements before securing rehearsal space inside a sprawling industrial warehouse. While employed as a doorman at Detroit's Gem Theater, Ahee connected with coworker Joe Casey through shared interest in music and the local Tyvek circle; Casey, who had never fronted a band, had previously traveled with Tyvek on select tours. Their initial collaboration produced an early, shifting Protomartyr lineup featuring Casey on vocals, Ahee and Leonard in their usual roles, and Tyvek songwriter Kevin Boyer handling bass. Boyer soon relinquished the bass chair to Davidson because of competing Tyvek duties and work demands, though he continued to contribute second guitar on an occasional basis. The resulting four- or five-piece configuration gigged throughout Detroit and surrounding areas, building notice through a pair of early 7-inch singles and commanding performances. Both "Dreads 85 84" and "Colpi Proibiti" appeared in 2012, preceding the full-length No Passion All Technique later that year; the album sold through its initial pressing and kept circulating via additional pressings as touring and press coverage expanded.

With Boyer largely absent by then, the core quartet refined its approach and moved to Hardly Art for the more expansive 2014 follow-up Under Color of Official Right. October 2015 brought the third studio album The Agent Intellect and an ensuing worldwide tour. As coverage intensified—particularly from Greg Kot on Chicago Public Radio's Sound Opinions—Protomartyr secured major festival slots and cultivated followings in Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States. A contract with the British indie powerhouse Domino followed, and Relatives in Descent arrived in September 2017. The band promoted the record through further international dates, beginning with an ambitious hometown launch staged on a riverboat sailing the Detroit River. One year later they issued the four-song Consolation EP, which included guest vocals from the Breeders' Kelley Deal and was tracked at her R. Ring collaborator Mike Montgomery's Candyland Studios in Kentucky.

The long-unavailable debut No Passion All Technique was reissued in 2019 with added bonus cuts such as "King Boots" and "Bubba Helms." Ultimate Success Today, released in 2020, intensified the brooding atmosphere of its predecessor while expanding sonic range through contributions from free-jazz figures Jemeel Moondoc and Fred Lonberg-Holm plus vocalist Half Waif. Originally slated for May, the album shifted to July because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and planned North American and European tours were canceled. In place of live shows, videos were created for each of the album's ten tracks. Protomartyr resumed touring in November 2021, with Kelley Deal adding guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals. New material began taking shape around Casey's lyrics, which reflected several upheavals: the loss of his mother, displacement from a longtime residence after repeated break-ins, and his engagement. Meanwhile Ahee composed scores for short films during lockdown and incorporated the textures and approaches of favored film composers, especially those associated with classic spaghetti westerns. These threads coalesced on Formal Growth in the Desert, produced by Ahee alongside engineer Jake Aron and issued in June 2023.