Unnatural Helpers

Initially formed by in-house staff at Seattle’s storied Sub Pop imprint, Unnatural Helpers began with Matt Olsen, Sean Kelly, Jed Maheu, and Dean Whitmore. Frequent personnel turnover soon thinned the ranks, so that only Whitmore remained when the group issued its first album. While juggling duties in Intelligence, Welcome, and additional projects, the vocalist-drummer placed the garage-rock set Cracked Love & Other Drugs with Hardly Art; Kurt Bloch of the Fastbacks engineered the sessions, and the record surfaced in April 2010. Further lineup adjustments produced a steady quartet—Whitmore on drums and vocals, Andrew Sullivan on bass, Johnnie Heinz on guitar, and Andrew Greager on guitar. The same four musicians tracked their second album with Bloch returning alongside Eric Randall, yielding 2012’s Land Grab.