The Receiver

The indie duo the Receiver, based in Ohio, crafts an intricate sonic palette fusing ethereal dream pop with the structural ambitions of prog rock. Brothers Casey, responsible for vocals, keyboards, and bass, and Jesse Cooper, who contributes drums and vocals, launched the project in 2005. Casey drew heavily on material he had developed for his senior thesis in music composition at Ohio State University in Columbus. Their first album, Decades, appeared in 2006 on the New York independent label Stunning Models on Display; its synth-focused pieces, though layered with detail, balanced pop immediacy against progressive leanings while nodding to Radiohead, Air, and Pink Floyd. After extensive road work and an extended writing phase, the pair returned in 2009 with Length of Arms on the Ohio indie Vital Music. They maintained a steady U.S. touring schedule that included shared bills with St. Vincent, Beirut, and Midlake. In 2015 the Receiver drew the interest of the U.K. imprint Kscope, which issued the band’s third album, All Burn, that summer.