Foxygen

Foxygen began as a high-school band in Westlake Village, California. Singer Sam France and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Rado produced ten homemade albums during their four years as high-schoolers, then split up to attend separate colleges (respectively in Olympia and New York). When they reconnected in 2011, they hooked up with musician/filmmaker Richard Swift who became their producer. Together they went to work on Foxygen's first above-ground album, Take the Kids Off Broadway. The album was praised for its audacity, cramming a few decades' worth of classic-rock references into a tidy 36 minutes. The followup We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic was even more diverse-raw punk appeared right next to an apparent homage to British folk-pop figure Al Stewart-and bore out the duo's sonic wizardry. The next year's double album And Star Power was more diverse and sprawling than ever, containing everything from acid-damaged metal to a spacey prog-rock suite, plus more concise pop. The tour behind that album featured a nice-piece group with backup singers and was billed as their "farewell tour," not a real goodbye but a sendup of their recent history. 2017 brought a fully polished studio album, Hang, recorded with a 40-piece orchestra and including a guest appearance by the Flaming Lips' Steven Drozd. Once again musical references were everywhere, taking in everything from Philly soul (on the leadoff single "Follow the Leader," Foxygen's first single to attract mainstream attention) to Anthony Newley-meets-Queen balladry.