The Men are a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band from

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, formed in 2008.Stosuy, Brandon
The Men

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2012. The band consists of Mark Perro (vocals, guitar, keys), Nick Chiericozzi (vocals, guitar, saxophone), Rich Samis (drums), and Kevin Faulkner (Bass). The band has produced eight studio albums. The Men's first two albums, ''Immaculada'' (2010) and ''Leave Home'' (2011), were noted for their abrasive,

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

sound. The band gained recognition for their third album '' Open Your Heart'' (2012), which was released to mostly positive reviews, including a Best New Music designation from ''

''.Open Your Heart reviews

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

. Retrieved 25 June 2012. ''Open Your Heart'' was also noted for being more accessible than the previous two albums, incorporating influences from

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

and

surf rock Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a Music genre, genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is in ...

. The band's follow-up albums, ''

New Moon In astronomy, the new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude. At this phase, the lunar disk is not visible to the naked eye, except when it is silhouetted against the Sun during a solar eclipse. ...

'' (2013) and '' Tomorrow's Hits'' (2014), continued down the path set by ''Open Your Heart,'' with more melodic songs and fewer noise rock influences.

History

Formation and ''Leave Home'' (2008-11)

The Men was formed by Nick Chiericozzi, Chris Hansell, and Mark Perro in 2008 in

. After recording a demo tape and a 12" EP, they self-released their first album, ''Immaculada,'' in 2010 and their first widely available album, ''Leave Home'', on Sacred Bones Records in 2011.The Men: Discography
Blogspot. Retrieved 25 June 2012. ''Leave Home'' received mostly positive reviews, with one critic describing the album as " .one of the most gut-punched and brain-addled rock records to arrive in quite some time."Ryan, Will
Album Review: The Men - Leave Home

Beats Per Minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

. 26 July 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2012.Critic Reviews for Leave Home

. Retrieved 25 June 2012. Later in 2011, Ben Greenberg, who engineered ''Leave Home,'' replaced bassist Chris Hansell after Hansell left the band.Leave Home - The Men: Credits

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Retrieved 8 March 2013.

''Open Your Heart'' (2012)

The Men released their follow-up album '' Open Your Heart'' on March 6, 2012. Considered to be a more accessible album than ''Leave Home,'' the band incorporated

and pop structures into the album.Pelly, Jenn
The Men Announce New Album

. 14 December 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2012. ''Open Your Heart'' received critical acclaim, including a Best New Music designation from ''

''.Cohen, Ian
The Men: Open Your Heart

. 5 March 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2012. One critic wrote "With ''Open Your Heart,'' The Men have taken that breath. And it’s only made their hearts beat faster."Heller, Jason
The Men: Open Your Heart

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2012. The band performed at the 2012

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

music festival.The Men

. Retrieved 25 June 2012. "Open Your Heart" was the last record to feature bass player Chris Hansell. The song "Turn It Around" was featured in a

Rockstar Games Rockstar Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. Foun ...

video game, "

Grand Theft Auto V ''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...

", on the

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 ...

station, " Vinewood Boulevard Radio", in Exclusive to Next Gen Editions.

''New Moon'' (2013)

The Men released their fourth full-length album, ''

,'' on March 5, 2013.Pelly, Jenn
The Men Announce New Album New Moon, Listen to New Track "Electric" Now

. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2013. The album, which was recorded in

Big Indian, New York Big Indian is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet within the Shandaken, New York, Town of Shandaken in Ulster County, New York, Ulster County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is located along New York State Route 28, State Route 28, within t ...

, continued the down the path established by ''Open Your Heart,'' incorporating more

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

and

country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal s ...

influences and fewer

elements.Heaney, Gregory
New Moon - The Men

. Retrieved 4 March 2013. One critic described the album's sound as "akin to

Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984, originally simply called Dinosaur until legal issues forced a change in name. The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter), Lou Barlow ( ...

on a serious

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the lat ...

kick." Compared with ''Open Your Heart,'' critical reaction was more mixed for ''New Moon.'' One of the main criticism directed at ''New Moon'' was the album's lack of focus and cohesion.Leedham, Robert
The Men - New Moon
.

Drowned in Sound ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History ''D ...

. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2013.Maizner, Jordan
The Men: New Moon

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

. 1 March 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2013. For the most part, however, the album received mostly positive reviews, with one writer describing ''New Moon'' as "one of those excellent albums that’s going to divide opinion, especially among long-standing fans of the band."Critic Reviews for New Moon

. Retrieved 5 March 2013.Messana, Matt
The Men: New Moon

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 ...

. 6 March 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2013. The Men released ''Campfire Songs'' EP on October 15, 2013. The EP was recorded around a

campfire A campfire is a fire at a campsite that provides light and warmth, and heat for cooking. It can also serve as a beacon, and an insect and predator deterrent. Established campgrounds often provide a stone or steel fire ring for safety. Campfires ...

in Upstate New York during the band's recording session for ''New Moon.''Reily, Dan
The Men's 'Campfire Songs' EP Actually Recorded by a Campfire

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

. 27 August 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2013.

''Tomorrow's Hits'' (2014) & Dream Police LP

On December 3, 2013, the band announced their fifth studio album, ''Tomorrow's Hits.'' The album was released March 4, 2014 and was recorded by Ben Greenberg at Strange Weather studio in Brooklyn.Pelly, Jenn
The Men Announce New Album, Tomorrow's Hits

. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014. Like with their previous two albums, ''Tomorrow's Hits'' mixed together punk rock and

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

influences.Breihan, Tom
Album Of The Week: The Men Tomorrow’s Hits
Stereogum. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2014. That same day, the band shared a video for the song "Pearly Gates". On November 10, 2014, Nick Chiericozzi and Mark Perro have released an LP on Sacred Bones records entitled, ''Hypnotized'' as Dream Police.Beauchemin, Molly
Video: The Men: "Pearly Gates"

. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2014.

''Devil Music'' (2016)

On September 12, 2016, the band announced their sixth album, ''Devil Music.''Roffman, Michael
The Men announce new album Devil Music, share erratic single “Lion’s Den” — listen
Consequence of Sound. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.

Musical style

The Men's musical style has been described as

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...

, punk rock,

neo-psychedelia Neo-psychedelia is a diverse genre of psychedelic music that draws inspiration from the sounds of 1960s psychedelia, either updating or copying the approaches from that era. Originating in the 1970s, it has occasionally seen mainstream pop su ...

and

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

. Influences for the Men include the Replacements,

Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independen ...

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their style-tr ...

and

the Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...

.Gotrich, Lars
The Men: Bursting At The Seams

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2012. For the band's third and fourth full-length albums ('' Open Your Heart'' and ''

''), the band incorporated influences from

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

and

.McCallum, Robert
Leave Your Heart At Home: An Interview With The Men

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quiet ...

. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2012. Nick Chiericozzi attributed the band's changing sound to their touring, saying "You start to listen to different stuff; it changes a lot because we were touring a lot. We were going to places like the UK and all over the world. You can’t help but not be changed by that."Young, Martyn
The Men: ‘We Didn’t Know We Had This Record In Us’
This Is Fake DIY. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.

Band members

Current MembersSundermann, Eric
The Men Get Out of the Gutter
Village Voice.com. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2013.The Men: New Moon
Sacred Bones Records. 14 February 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2013. *Nick Chiericozzi - vocals, guitar, saxophone (2008–present) *Mark Perro - vocals, guitar, keys (2008–present) *Rich Samis - drums (2011–present) *Kevin Faulkner - bass, lap steel (2011–present) Former members *Chris Hansell - vocals, bass (2008-2011) *Ben Greenberg - vocals, bass, guitar (2011–2014)

Discography

Albums

*''Immaculada'' (2010), We Are the Men Records / Deranged *''Leave Home'' (2011), Sacred Bones *'' Open Your Heart'' (2012), Sacred Bones *''

'' (2013), Sacred Bones *'' Tomorrow's Hits'' (2014), Sacred Bones *''Devil Music'' (2016), We Are the Men Records *''

Drift Drift or Drifts may refer to: Geography * Drift or ford (crossing) of a river * Drift, Kentucky, unincorporated community in the United States * In Cornwall, England: ** Drift, Cornwall, village ** Drift Reservoir, associated with the village ...

'' (2018), Sacred Bones *''

Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, relig ...

'' (2020), Sacred Bones *''New York City'' (2023), Fuzz Club Records

EPs

*''We Are the Men'' (2009), self-released *''Campfire Songs'' (2013), Sacred Bones

Singles

*"Think" b/w "Gates of Steel" (2011) *"Jennifer" b/w "New Pop", Matador Singles Club *"Electric" b/w "Water Babies" (2013), Sacred Bones

Cassettes

*"Captain Ahab" b/w "Wasted" (2010) *Split w/ Nomos (2010)

References

External links

The Men's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Men 2008 establishments in New York City American noise rock music groups American post-hardcore musical groups American post-punk music groups Indie rock musical groups from New York (state) Musical groups established in 2008 Musical groups from Brooklyn Punk rock groups from New York (state) Sacred Bones Records artists