The Early November

Originating in New Jersey, the rock group the Early November matured amid the signature Drive-Thru Records aesthetic that fused introspective emo with pop accessibility and punk-revival energy tempered by post-hardcore edge. The band surfaced around 2000 and delivered its first EP, For All of This, on that label in 2002. The Drive-Thru association lasted until In Currents appeared in 2012; thereafter Imbue (2015) and Lilac (2019) were issued through Rise Records.

The musicians first became active in 2001, competing for gigs in the crowded South Jersey circuit while pursuing a Drive-Thru contract. In 2002 label heads Richard and Stefanie Reines signed vocalist/guitarist “Ace” (Arthur) Enders, bassist Sergio Anello, drummer Jeff Kummer, and guitarist Joseph Marro after hearing their demo and sensing mounting local interest. The For All of This EP marked their label debut later that year. Summer appearances on the Warped Tour’s Drive-Thru stage generated wider attention, and Room’s Too Cold, the band’s first full-length, arrived late in 2003.

That album offered a particularly expansive rendering of the Drive-Thru approach, incorporating strings and ballads while showcasing the depth of Enders’ vocals. Extensive touring followed; Enders then released the debut from his solo project I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody’s Business in late 2004 and supported it with brief road dates. He soon refocused on the Early November, and writing for the next album began the following summer. Sessions started in February 2005 after guitarist Bill Lugg joined as the fifth member. A split EP with I Am the Avalanche, Vinnie Caruana’s post-Movielife project, also appeared that summer. The resulting triple album The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path emerged in July 2006, comprising a rock-focused disc (“The Mechanic”), a mellower acoustic disc (“The Mother”), and a narrative soundtrack disc with dialogue (“The Path”). It debuted at number 31 on the Billboard Top 200. Additional touring ensued until the members announced an indefinite hiatus in March 2007 once remaining shows were completed.

Following four years apart, the Early November played a reunion concert in Philadelphia in late 2011. More dates were booked, and the band disclosed a new deal with Rise Records for its first album since 2006. Despite the layoff, In Currents reached number 43 on the Top 200 and number six on the Independent Albums chart upon release in 2012. Produced again by Enders, Imbue arrived in spring 2015. A career overview titled Fifteen Years appeared in early 2017 on Bad Timing Records and featured new acoustic versions of songs spanning the band’s history. Their fifth studio album, Lilac, followed in 2019.