Biography
Hailing from Iowa yet steeped in British musical affinities, the Envy Corps channel the soaring Brit-pop sweep of Radiohead, the driving pulse of New Order, and the hazy sonic textures of early-1990s shoegaze outfits. Former Ames web developer Luke Pettipoole launched the project in 2001 together with college student David Yoshimura. Both handled guitar, while Pettipoole also took piano and lead-vocal responsibilities. After an initial revolving cast, the band spent several years gigging throughout the Midwest before locking in its permanent roster in 2004. Yoshimura moved to bass, his brother Scott took the drum chair, and Brandon Darner joined on lead guitar after serving as lead vocalist for To My Surprise, the experimental outfit founded by Slipknot’s Shawn Crahan.
Maintaining a steady schedule of local performances, the newly configured group issued a series of self-financed discs that eventually drew the attention of London’s Vertigo Records. An A&R representative traveled to the band’s Des Moines headquarters, and a deal soon followed. Following the example of fellow Iowans The Killers—whose guitarist Dave Keuning had become an early champion—the Envy Corps chose to cultivate U.K. listeners first. Relocating to the London suburb of Streatham, they issued several EPs and singles in 2007, among them Rhinemaidens, Wires & Wool, and Story Problem, while shaping their debut album. The kinetic full-length Dwell surfaced in early 2008.
Maintaining a steady schedule of local performances, the newly configured group issued a series of self-financed discs that eventually drew the attention of London’s Vertigo Records. An A&R representative traveled to the band’s Des Moines headquarters, and a deal soon followed. Following the example of fellow Iowans The Killers—whose guitarist Dave Keuning had become an early champion—the Envy Corps chose to cultivate U.K. listeners first. Relocating to the London suburb of Streatham, they issued several EPs and singles in 2007, among them Rhinemaidens, Wires & Wool, and Story Problem, while shaping their debut album. The kinetic full-length Dwell surfaced in early 2008.
Albums
