The duo To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie blends dreamy pop with industrial noise in equal measures of beauty and unease, centered on guitarist and vocalist Jehna Wilhelm together with electronics and sound manipulator Mark McGee. Having relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota from Richmond, Virginia, the pair began collaborating musically around 2003 and drew on a changing roster of additional players. They established the Riley Bushman Recordings & Archives label specifically to issue their own recordings and joint projects with similarly inclined artists, among them split singles alongside Virginia groups Harm Stryker and Cristal. A deal with Kranky Records followed, leading to the autumn 2007 release of their debut full-length The Patron, a concept album depicting a romance between two merging corporations. The next year brought the Retire Early EP on their own imprint. Their second Kranky album, 2009’s Marlone, pursued a leaner and more energetic path that replaced portions of the earlier atmosphere with louder guitars and clearer pop frameworks.
