Shrag

Shrag, the high-energy indie rock band from Brighton, came together in 2004. Its lineup featured Helen King on vocals and keyboards, Stephanie Goodman on vocals and keyboards, Leigh Anne Walter on vocals and drums, Bob Brown on vocals and guitar, and Russell Warrior on bass. After launching live performances, the group drew the interest of indie label Where It's at Is Where You Are, which issued their debut single “Talk to the Left”/“Hopelessly Wasted” in 2006. Three further singles appeared while the band toured and built an audience for its brainy, melodic indie pop. Those tracks, together with assorted extras, were compiled on the self-titled album that arrived in 2009. The release earned some critical attention, and a U.K. tour supporting the Pains of Being Pure at Heart raised the group’s profile further. Their first proper full-length, Life! Death! Prizes!, surfaced in October 2010 on Where It's at Is Where You Are, immediately before the band traveled to New York for its first official U.S. shows at CMJ. Nearly all of 2011 was spent writing the next record, after which the members entered the studio with producer Andy Miller, who had previously worked with Life Without Buildings. The resulting album, Canines, was jointly released in summer 2012 by Where It's at Is Where You Are and Fortuna Pop.