The Drowning Men

Hailing from Oceanside, California, the Drowning Men craft expansive, intense indie rock marked by a rugged, working-class edge. Their music suggests a parallel reality in which Arcade Fire is fronted by Nick Cave, merging meticulous arrangements with raw, heartfelt delivery while threading a path between theatrical excess and plainspoken directness. The project began in 2006 when childhood friends Nato Bardeen (vocals, guitars, keys), James Smith (guitar), and Rory Dolan (percussion) elected to make music together. After adding Todd Eisenkerch on bass and Gabe Messer on keyboards, they issued the Kill the Matador EP in 2007. Their first full-length album, Beheading of the Song Bird, appeared in 2009 and was followed by several years of touring in support of the Airborne Toxic Event, Flogging Molly, and Alkaline Trio. The band later signed with Borstal Beat Records, Flogging Molly’s label, which released the sophomore album All of the Unknown in 2012.