The Forms are an American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band from

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, New York, whose style incorporates aspects of

math rock Math rock is a style of progressive and indie rock with roots in bands such as King Crimson and Rush as well as 20th-century minimal music composers such as Steve Reich. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (includi ...

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

, and

emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...

.Terlesky, John (February 6, 2003). "Brooklyn-based Forms adds new content to emo-rock", ''

The Morning Call ''The Morning Call'' is a daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1883, it is the second longest continuously published newspaper in the Lehigh Valley, after ''The Express-Times''. In 2020, the newspaper permanently closed its Al ...

'', p. E14. The band members include Alex Tween (vox, keyboards) and Matt Walsh (drums, sequencers).

History

The Forms released their debut album, ''

Icarus In Greek mythology, Icarus (; grc, Ἴκαρος, Íkaros, ) was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, the architect of the labyrinth of Crete. After Theseus, king of Athens and enemy of Minos, escaped from the labyrinth, King Minos suspe ...

'', in 2003. The album was recorded with legendary producer

Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...

(Nirvana, Pixies, P. J. Harvey) at the helm. They worked with Albini again on their latest (self-titled) album, which was released in October 2007. In 2011, they released the 'Derealization' EP, which featured

The National_(band) The National is an American rock band of Cincinnati, Ohio natives, formed in Brooklyn, New York City in 1999. The band consists of Matt Berninger (vocals), twin brothers Aaron Dessner (guitar, piano, keyboards) and Bryce Dessner (guitar, piano, ...

’s

Matt Berninger Matthew Donald Berninger (, born February 13, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter, primarily known as the frontman and lyricist of indie rock band The National. In 2014, he also formed the EL VY project with Brent Knopf of Ramona Falls and ...

on vocals, as well as

Shudder To Think Shudder to Think was an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1986, they released three albums on the Washington, D.C.-based label Dischord Records, and two on Epic Records. Their early work was largely influenced by post-hardcore although ...

’s

Craig Wedren Craig Benjamin Wedren (born August 15, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and composer, who began his career fronting post-hardcore band Shudder to Think. Following the disbandment of Shudder to Think, Wedren pursued a career as a ...

. The Forms recorded a cover of Billy Joel's "

We Didn't Start the Fire "We Didn't Start the Fire" is a song written and published by American musician Billy Joel. The song was released as a single on September 18, 1989, and later released as part of Joel's album '' Storm Front'' on October 17, 1989. A list song, i ...

" for

Engine Room Recordings Engine Room Recordings is an independent record label with a roster of indie rock and alternative rock musicians. Beyond marketing and distribution for its artists, the label does booking and artist management. Engine Room Recordings is part of ...

' compilation album '' Guilt by Association Vol. 2'', which was released in November 2008. On June 21, 2021, they released a single ''Southern Ocean'' on the label Threespheres and announced a vinyl release via the Open Ocean label. On September 13, 2021, they released a single ''Head Underwater'' on the label Threespheres and announced a vinyl release via the Open Ocean label. On November 1, 2021, they released a single ''All Souls Day'' on the label Threespheres and announced a vinyl release via the Open Ocean label. On March 28, 2022, they released a single ''Latch'' on the label Threespheres and announced a vinyl release via the Open Ocean label. The band has shared the stage with bands like The National,

The Hold Steady The Hold Steady is an American rock band originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, now based in Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2003. The band consists of Craig Finn (vocals, guitar), Tad Kubler (guitar), Galen Polivka (bass), Bobby Drake (drums), ...

, St. Vincent, Ok Go, Deerhunter, Minus the Bear, Ted Leo, and Nick Cave.

Reception

At the time of the debut release, reviews were generally very positive, and critics compared the band favorably to early-emo rock group

Sunny Day Real Estate Sunny Day Real Estate is an American emo/indie rock band from Seattle, formed in 1992. The band currently consists of founding members Jeremy Enigk (vocals, guitar), Dan Hoerner (guitar) and William Goldsmith (drums), alongside Greg Suran (gui ...

.Randall, Mac (March 17, 2003). "My Two Cents on 50 Cent, Lovett, Massive Attack, Other 'Pokey' CD's", ''

The New York Observer ''The New York Observer'' was a weekly newspaper printed from 1987 to 2016, when it ceased print publication and became the online-only newspaper ''Observer''. The media site focuses on culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainmen ...

'', p. 19. Mac Randall of ''

'' described the band as "aggro-artsy trio fond of awkward time signatures, sly rhythmic manipulation, curlicuing vocal lines, and giving one song two separate track numbers for no obvious reason... ese guys make a virtue out of attention-deficit disorder."

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

called the band "one of the most exciting, if not one of the best, new acts in indie rock right now."Jagernauth, Kevin (October 17, 2003).
The Forms: Icarus
,

. Retrieved on 2009-07-05.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (2003) * ''The Forms'' (2007) * ''Derealization EP'' (2011)

Compilations

*"We Didn't Start the Fire" from the '' Guilt by Association Vol. 2'' compilation

Singles

* ''Southern Ocean'' (2021) * ''Head Underwater'' (2021) * ''All Souls Day'' (2021) * ''Latch'' (2022)

References

External links

The Forms Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forms Indie rock musical groups from New York (state) Musical groups from Queens, New York