Secret Someones came together when three rising New York songwriters pooled their talents to shape an indie-rock sound marked by economical yet propulsive arrangements and lyrics that echo the reflective tone of present-day folk. Bess Rogers, Lelia Broussard, and Hannah Winkler made up the core, each already active in the local scene. Rogers had started on guitar as a teenager and released three solo albums; Broussard had placed as a finalist in Rolling Stone’s So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star contest and issued a 2011 EP on Atlantic; Winkler had issued her own recordings while also playing in Ingrid Michaelson’s touring and studio band, a role Rogers likewise filled.
During 2013 the three combined for a string of house-concert dates, each delivering a solo set while the others supplied backing support and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Zach Jones anchored every performance. By tour’s end the musicians recognized both their creative rapport and the striking vocal blend of the three songwriters, leading them to continue as a single unit. With Rogers on guitar, Broussard on bass, Winkler on guitar and keyboards, and Jones on drums, they tracked an EP under producer Chris Kuffner—Rogers’ husband—resulting in the debut release I Won’t Follow. The EP landed the group a deal with the Interscope-affiliated Cherrytree label; after several singles, among them a cover of “Walk Like an Egyptian” recorded with Jukebox the Ghost, the band’s first full-length album, Secret Someones, was set for release in October 2015.
