Simian

Simian, the psychedelic pop experimentalists with an intense focus on psychological themes, reached their complete formation when James Ford, Alex MacNaughton, and James Shaw crossed paths with Simon Lord. Mutual exposure to one another’s musical output prompted the four to join forces under the Simian name. Their sound drew equal influence from 1960s experimental outfits such as Silver Apples and the United States of America and from present-day counterparts including Luke Vibert and the Beta Band. The group made its first appearance on the U.K.’s Source label in 2000 via the Watch It Glow EP. A full year afterward came the follow-up EP The Wisp, succeeded four months later by the group’s widely praised debut album Chemistry Is What We Are. Astralwerks secured U.S. rights to the enigmatic release. Late 2002 brought the album We Are Your Friends, after which the band undertook its initial U.S. tour early the next year. A third album never materialized, yet Ford and Shaw later reconvened as the production duo Simian Mobile Disco, delivering Attack Decay Sustain Release in 2007.