Biography
The Fresh & Onlys originated when prolific frontman Tim Cohen of Black Fiction joined forces with bassist Shayde Sartin to begin assembling songs in 2004. Over time the group expanded its roster to drummer Kyle Gibson, guitarist Wymond Miles, and Heidi Alexander, the last of whom departed shortly afterward. The updated configuration gradually shaped a grimy yet sunny pop approach—reminiscent of Saturday Looks Good to Me and Welcome, laced with garage-rock energy—after absorbing an eclectic range of influences that included Buzzcocks, the Mekons, and Country Joe MacDonald. Their earliest release, the Imaginary Friends EP, appeared in early 2008 on Kelley Stoltz’s label.
Following the self-released Medicine Island cassette, John Dwyer’s Castle Face imprint issued the band’s self-titled debut album in April 2009; a 7" single titled “I’ll Tell You Everything” on Dirty Knobby Industries came next. Woodsist then put out the second album, Grey-Eyed Girls, during the fall of 2009. A surge of additional material surfaced throughout 2010, encompassing the Captured Tracks EP August on My Mind, assorted singles on multiple labels, and the third full-length Play It Strange, which In the Red released in October. April 2011 brought the lusher, reverby Secret Walls EP on Sacred Bones, while Cohen issued Ruler of the Night on Hardly Art with his other project Magic Trick and Miles delivered the solo album Under the Pale Moon, also on Sacred Bones.
Mexican Summer presented the band’s fourth album and first for the label, Long Slow Dance, in August 2012; the record was comparatively polished and introspective. An EP titled Soothsayer followed in 2013, the same year Cohen and Miles respectively issued another Magic Trick album, River of Souls, and the solo set Cut Yourself Free. Cohen composed the fifth album, House of Spirits, during a stay at an isolated Arizona horse ranch, imbuing it with a relaxed Western atmosphere before its June 2014 release on Mexican Summer.
Sartin and Gibson soon exited, leaving Cohen and Miles to tour with substitute players. Castle Face compiled Early Years Anthology in 2015, gathering previously unreleased tracks from the period surrounding the debut. Later that year Magic Trick returned with Half Man Half Machine, followed in mid-2016 by Other Man’s Blues, which surfaced within weeks of Miles’ third solo effort, Call by Night. Cohen meanwhile signed with Sinderlyn for his fourth solo LP, Luck Man, issued in early 2017. That summer the Fresh & Onlys, now officially a duo, resurfaced on the same label with Wolf Lie Down.
Following the self-released Medicine Island cassette, John Dwyer’s Castle Face imprint issued the band’s self-titled debut album in April 2009; a 7" single titled “I’ll Tell You Everything” on Dirty Knobby Industries came next. Woodsist then put out the second album, Grey-Eyed Girls, during the fall of 2009. A surge of additional material surfaced throughout 2010, encompassing the Captured Tracks EP August on My Mind, assorted singles on multiple labels, and the third full-length Play It Strange, which In the Red released in October. April 2011 brought the lusher, reverby Secret Walls EP on Sacred Bones, while Cohen issued Ruler of the Night on Hardly Art with his other project Magic Trick and Miles delivered the solo album Under the Pale Moon, also on Sacred Bones.
Mexican Summer presented the band’s fourth album and first for the label, Long Slow Dance, in August 2012; the record was comparatively polished and introspective. An EP titled Soothsayer followed in 2013, the same year Cohen and Miles respectively issued another Magic Trick album, River of Souls, and the solo set Cut Yourself Free. Cohen composed the fifth album, House of Spirits, during a stay at an isolated Arizona horse ranch, imbuing it with a relaxed Western atmosphere before its June 2014 release on Mexican Summer.
Sartin and Gibson soon exited, leaving Cohen and Miles to tour with substitute players. Castle Face compiled Early Years Anthology in 2015, gathering previously unreleased tracks from the period surrounding the debut. Later that year Magic Trick returned with Half Man Half Machine, followed in mid-2016 by Other Man’s Blues, which surfaced within weeks of Miles’ third solo effort, Call by Night. Cohen meanwhile signed with Sinderlyn for his fourth solo LP, Luck Man, issued in early 2017. That summer the Fresh & Onlys, now officially a duo, resurfaced on the same label with Wolf Lie Down.
Albums
Wolf Lie Down
2017
House of Spirits
2014
Long Slow Dance
2012
Play It Strange
2010
Golden Triangle / The Fresh & Onlys Split 7
2010
August in My Mind
2010
Grey-Eyed Girls
2009
The Fresh & Onlys
2009
Singles
