The Stills

Although sharing only minimal resemblances with Interpol, the Stills initiated their musical journey through a dignified post-punk aesthetic influenced by Echo & the Bunnymen along with Joy Division, mirroring those formally attired New York musicians. The founding lineup of vocalist Tim Fletcher, drummer Dave Hamelin, guitarist Greg Paquet, and bassist Oliver Crowe had known one another since age 12 and performed in multiple earlier groups prior to establishing the Stills in 2000. In 2002 the quartet temporarily relocated from their Montreal base for a two-month period in New York City, capturing material on a four-track recorder while seeking label interest. An agreement with Vice Recordings materialized before the year concluded, yet joint performances alongside the Music, the Rapture, the Streets, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs proved decisive in securing the group a fleeting foothold within the city’s shifting indie rock landscape.

The Rememberese EP surfaced in June 2003, followed that autumn by American engagements with Interpol. October brought the full-length debut Logic Will Break Your Heart; afterward the band toured the U.K. and North America before entering the studio in late 2004 to begin work on a second album. The next year founding guitarist Greg Paquet departed, prompting drummer Dave Hamelin to move to guitar. Touring keyboardist Liam O’Neil and Sea Ray drummer Colin Brooks joined the configuration. Issued in 2006, Without Feathers marked a shift away from new wave and post-punk toward roots-oriented 1970s heartland rock, with Hamelin assuming co-frontman duties alongside Fletcher. Oceans Will Rise, arriving in 2008, extended the group’s range further by weaving sonic experimentalism and uplifting anthemic rock into the mix. That progression ended when the Stills declared their breakup on April 15, 2011.