The Dent

Forming the power pop sound of Fairfield, Connecticut's the Dent are Jeff Norberg, D. Rauh, and Mitchell Linker. The three first connected during junior high in 1989 and soon began composing original material together. Amid the mid-'90s peak of grunge, the members balanced college studies with entries in multiple band competitions while attracting notice on area college radio. That exposure prompted the 1995 release of a self-titled six-song EP. Within two years the group had arranged East Coast tours and begun readying a full studio album. Their independently issued Beauty Cries arrived in 1998, its catchy pop style earning a slot at North by Northwest in Toronto in 1999. Neurotica followed three years later.