The Envy Corps

The Envy Corps is an American alternative rock band originally from Ames, Iowa. Members include Brandon Darner (guitar), Micah Natera (keyboards, guitar), Luke Pettipoole (vocals, bass, piano), and Scott Yoshimura (drums). Discovered on Myspace by Universal Music imprint Vertigo, the band was transplanted into the UK indie dance/rock scene of the late 2000s. Future independent releases found the band experimenting with sounds inspired by Radiohead, Talk Talk, Portishead, and Bjork in relative obscurity outside their home state of Iowa.

In a review of their critically acclaimed 2011 release '' It Culls You'', Christina Smart of Examiner.com called the Envy Corps "the best band you've never heard of."

History

Formation and ''Soviet Reunion'' (2001-2004)

The Envy Corps were formed in October 2001 by Luke Pettipoole, and originally included Pettipoole on guitar and vocals, Derek Powers on drums, and Peter Bovenmyer on bass. In 2003, the band added second guitarist David Yoshimura, and by late 2004 had released ''Soviet Reunion'', their first album to little acclaim. Soon thereafter, the lineup shuffled. Yoshimura assumed bass duties, his brother Scott took over behind the drumkit, and former To My Surprise frontman Brandon Darner joined on lead guitar.

''Dwell'' (2005-2009)

The band spent 2005 working feverishly on the first fruits of the new lineup. ''I Will Write You Love Letters If You Tell Me To'' EP was self-released in April 2006. The album garnered them increased attention and an extended stay on the CMJ Top 200 chart, as well as an opening slot for The Killers on their fall US tour. Based on the success of the EP, the band signed with the Mercury Records imprint Vertigo. In March 2007, the ''Story Problem'' EP was released on iTunes and double 7" in the UK, culling four tracks from ''Love Letters'' and serving as a teaser for the upcoming album. The band spent several months in 2007 working on their major label debut, ''Dwell'', at a studio - Sound Farm Studio & Recording Environment - tucked away in the remote farmland of their home state, choosing then to mix the record in the London borough of Brixton.

''Dwell'' was originally slated for release for September of 2007, but the onstage stroke of guitarist Darner at a London club show in August delayed the album. Within two weeks, Darner rejoined his comrades on their UK tour with Editors, but immediately thereafter the band retreated to Iowa to allow Darner to further recover. At the end of 2007, bassist David Yoshimura left the band and moved to Japan. ''Dwell'' was eventually released in the UK on April 28, 2008, and digitally in the US on July 8, 2008.

The song "Story Problem" was featured on the soundtrack of the British romantic comedy film '' Run, Fatboy, Run'' starring Simon Pegg.

''Kid Gloves'' EP and ''It Culls You'' (2009-2021)

The Envy Corps were dropped from Vertigo Records in late 2008, and soon thereafter added live guitarist/keyboardist Micah Natera as a permanent member. Eager to prove themselves creatively, in February and March 2009, the band recorded material for a new EP entitled ''Kid Gloves'' which was released June 9th, 2009 and included the single "Screen Test". In June 2010, the band began pre-production on their proper follow-up. Sessions with Omaha engineer A. J. Mogis at ARC Studios resulted in a full-length entitled ''It Culls You'', which featured new songs such as "Make It Stop", "Ms. Hospital Corners", "Fools (How I Survived You & Even Laughed)" and "Cmd + Q".

The band's music was featured on ''Entourage'' in July 2010.

In October 2011, The Envy Corps began streaming ''It Culls You'', the much-anticipated follow-up to 2008's '' Dwell'', from their website. The digital release was without much fanfare: in an interview, guitarist Brandon Darner said that he was acutely conscious of "PR schemes" that generate "artificial excitement," and he wanted fans to discover the record on their own time and "let it sink in for a while."

Upon its physical release, the album was a critical success. While a few critics disparaged the album for being "forgettable," many critics have praised the album for its sonic ingenuity and commended the band for " erfectingthe melodic rock they are best known for." Mike Antonich noted that the album warrants repeated listens, writing that the album's "brilliance has only grown with each repeated play." Likewise, Joel Frieders called the album "gorgeous" named it one of his top 10 albums of 2011. Moreover, expressing a nearly ubiquitous critical sentiment, Christina Smart wrote that the album "deserves to be on everyone's op 10list."

The band took part in the inaugural Hinterland Music Festival on July 31, 2015, in central Iowa. On May 28, 2017, the band officially announced through their Facebook page that they have begun working on new music.

''Born in Fog'' (2022-)

On February 22, 2022, the band announced via Twitter that their fourth album would be titled ''Born in Fog'' and would be released on May 27, 2022. On April 1, 2022, the album was released on Bandcamp, and it was officially released to all platforms on May 27, 2022. The band performed at the 80-35 Festival in Des Moines, Iowa on July 9, 2022.

Discography

Albums

*''Soviet Reunion'' (2004
Bi-Fi Records

*''Dwell'' (2008, Vertigo Records)
*''It Culls You'' (2011, self-released)
*''Born in Fog'' (2022, self–released)

EPs

*''Humble Hero/Lurking In the Shadows'' (2002, Bi-Fi Records)
*''Gregory Rumes'' (2003, Bi-Fi Records)
*''I Will Write You Love Letters If You Tell Me To'' (2006, self-released)
*''Story Problem'' (2007, Vertigo Records)
*''Kid Gloves'' (2009, self-released)

Singles

*"Wires & Wool" (2007, Vertigo Records)
*"Rhinemaidens" (2007, Vertigo Records)
*"Story Problem" (2008, Vertigo Records)
*"Weather Baby" (2019, self-released)
*"Sour Patch" (2019, self-released)
*"Fraidy Cat/Good Night Kitty" (2022, self-released)

Other

* ''Run Fatboy Run'' Soundtrack (2007)

Unreleased songs

* "Yellow Streak" (2011)

References

External links

The Envy Corps
official website

The Envy Corps
on MySpace

{{DEFAULTSORT:Envy Corps, The
Indie rock musical groups from Iowa
Alternative rock groups from Iowa
Vertigo Records artists