Biography
Tigers Jaw emerged in 2005 when guitarist-vocalists Adam McIlwee and Ben Walsh began writing songs together in Scranton, Pennsylvania. They soon added bassist Dennis Mishko and drummer Mike May; after a keyboardist departed prior to their debut performance, Brianna Collins joined on keys through mutual acquaintances. Mike May exited shortly afterward, prompting Pat Brier to assume drumming duties and stabilize the lineup.
The group tracked its first release, Belongs to the Dead, in 2006 inside the attic rehearsal space using portable equipment; Summersteps Records issued the album. Two years later the band entered the studio with producer-engineer Joe Loftus to record its self-titled second album for Photobooth Records. Academic schedules initially restricted touring, yet word of mouth continued to build; in 2010 the band signed with Run for Cover Records, which released Two Worlds and later reissued the earlier two albums. A split EP with Balance & Composure appeared the same year, followed by additional split singles with the Sidekicks, Tiny Empires, and Code Orange. Tigers Jaw issued the 2013 single “Hum” b/w “Cool” before announcing that McIlwee, Mishko, and Brier would depart and the band would enter hiatus. Walsh and Collins reaffirmed their intention to continue, recruiting Derrick Sherman on guitar along with Andrew Fisher on bass and James Fisher on drums for live dates. The three departing members returned to the studio to finish the fourth album, Charmer, issued in spring 2014.
Spin, the fifth studio album and the band’s first as a duo, arrived in May 2017 on producer Will Yip’s Black Cement imprint through Atlantic, marking Tigers Jaw’s major-label debut. By 2019 the project had expanded into a quartet featuring Theodore Roberts on drums and Colin Gorman on bass. The refreshed lineup moved to Hopeless Records that year and delivered the single “Warn Me” in early 2020. While touring paused amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the band resumed work on its sixth album with Yip once more producing; the resulting singles “Cat’s Cradle” and “Lemon Mouth” surfaced late in 2020. The completed set, I Won't Care How You Remember Me, followed at the start of 2021.
The group tracked its first release, Belongs to the Dead, in 2006 inside the attic rehearsal space using portable equipment; Summersteps Records issued the album. Two years later the band entered the studio with producer-engineer Joe Loftus to record its self-titled second album for Photobooth Records. Academic schedules initially restricted touring, yet word of mouth continued to build; in 2010 the band signed with Run for Cover Records, which released Two Worlds and later reissued the earlier two albums. A split EP with Balance & Composure appeared the same year, followed by additional split singles with the Sidekicks, Tiny Empires, and Code Orange. Tigers Jaw issued the 2013 single “Hum” b/w “Cool” before announcing that McIlwee, Mishko, and Brier would depart and the band would enter hiatus. Walsh and Collins reaffirmed their intention to continue, recruiting Derrick Sherman on guitar along with Andrew Fisher on bass and James Fisher on drums for live dates. The three departing members returned to the studio to finish the fourth album, Charmer, issued in spring 2014.
Spin, the fifth studio album and the band’s first as a duo, arrived in May 2017 on producer Will Yip’s Black Cement imprint through Atlantic, marking Tigers Jaw’s major-label debut. By 2019 the project had expanded into a quartet featuring Theodore Roberts on drums and Colin Gorman on bass. The refreshed lineup moved to Hopeless Records that year and delivered the single “Warn Me” in early 2020. While touring paused amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the band resumed work on its sixth album with Yip once more producing; the resulting singles “Cat’s Cradle” and “Lemon Mouth” surfaced late in 2020. The completed set, I Won't Care How You Remember Me, followed at the start of 2021.
Albums
Lost on You
2026
Old Clothes
2022
spin
2022
I Won't Care How You Remember Me
2021
Studio 4 Acoustic Session
2015
Charmer
2014
Two Worlds
2010
Singles
