The Ballroom Thieves

Indie folk-rock duo the Ballroom Thieves originated in New England, where their warm, high-energy approach drew listeners during the first half of the 2010s. Two early independent recordings paired with extensive roadwork secured a Nettwerk contract, which brought forth the charged third album Unlovely in 2020; two years afterward came the more pop-oriented Clouds.

Guitarist Martin Earley and drummer Devin Mauch launched the project in 2010 during their time at Stonehill College near Boston. Cellist Calin Peters joined in 2013, and the expanded trio cut their first full-length, A Wolf in the Doorway, issued in 2015, revealing a layered harmonic style and dynamic structures. Prolonged touring in support of that debut strained the members, who funneled those pressures into the rawer, more introspective Deadeye, released in 2016. Their persistence earned them the Nettwerk roster spot, with the Paper Crown EP arriving in 2018 as their initial release on the label. Early 2020 then brought Unlovely, a set confronting political and social divides such as greed and disparity. Later that year Mauch departed to pursue his growing pyrography enterprise. Earley and Peters continued as a duo, issuing tracks including “Worldender” and “Harry Styles” that steered the sound toward dreamy, minimal indie pop and led to the 2022 album Clouds.