Events

[INDIE] The Shins came out of Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1996 as a side project to James Mercer’s then-band, Flake Music. And they’re still really with it. Currently consisting of James Mercer, Jon Sortland, Mark Watrous, Casey Foubert, Yuuki Matthews, and Patti King, the band has had a ton of members in and out since their start. They’ve recorded five studio albums, including their first two—Oh, Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow—which received critical acclaim. They earned a Grammy nomination for their record Wincing the Night Away, and shortly thereafter signed to Columbia Records. Mercer parted ways with the band for a while, citing it as an “aesthetic decision,” and it was during this time that he began collaborating with Brian Burton (Danger Mouse), eventually forming their band Broken Bells. Returning in 2012 to The Shins as the only original member, Mercer brought on an all new backing band and released Port of Morrow (2012) and Heartworms (2017). He cites The Smiths and The Cure, among other English rock bands, as main inspirations to his style. Rolling Stone has described The Shins as bringing “pop traditions of 1960s pop bands—groups like the Zombies and the Beach Boys—to a new generation of music fans,” a hefty yet true note. They’ll be playing at the Rapids Theatre on Tuesday, July 11.