Bad Books

Bad Books combines the singing and songwriting talents of <a href="spotify:artist:5wFXmYsg3KFJ8BDsQudJ4f">Manchester Orchestra</a>'s Andy Hull and solo artist <a href="spotify:artist:66ScZxprvrMbCtN4ivA0JX">Kevin Devine</a>. Alternating reflective indie rock and anxious power pop, both with crisp vocal harmonies, the project's self-titled debut appeared in 2010. Following a hiatus, the band's third album, 2019's III, traded their rhythm section for an organ and a more cinematic sound.

After serving as opening acts on <a href="spotify:artist:168dgYui7ExaU612eooDF1">Brand New</a>'s 2007 tour, Hull and <a href="spotify:artist:66ScZxprvrMbCtN4ivA0JX">Devine</a> began working together in spurts. They released a split EP in January 2010 shortly before launching the collaborative Bad Books. Also featuring bassist Jonathan Corley, drummer Ben Homola, and <a href="spotify:artist:5wFXmYsg3KFJ8BDsQudJ4f">Manchester Orchestra</a>'s Chris Freeman, their debut album, Bad Books, arrived later in 2010 via <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Favorite+Gentlemen%22">Favorite Gentlemen</a> and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Razor+%26+Tie%22">Razor & Tie</a>. It landed on the Billboard 200, reaching number 55. With additional help from another <a href="spotify:artist:5wFXmYsg3KFJ8BDsQudJ4f">Manchester Orchestra</a> member, Robert McDowell, Bad Books' second album, II, was released by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Favorite+Gentlemen%22">Favorite Gentlemen</a> and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Triple+Crown+Records%22">Triple Crown Records</a> in 2012. It included the song "Forest Whitaker," which made it onto an episode of the hit CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.

Bad Books soon went on hiatus as <a href="spotify:artist:66ScZxprvrMbCtN4ivA0JX">Devine</a> released a pair of albums -- the solo effort Bulldozer and full-band production Bubblegum -- on the same day in October of 2013, and <a href="spotify:artist:5wFXmYsg3KFJ8BDsQudJ4f">Manchester Orchestra</a> issued the companion albums Cope and Hope (an acoustic reimagining) in 2014. <a href="spotify:artist:66ScZxprvrMbCtN4ivA0JX">Devine</a> put out two more full-lengths and <a href="spotify:artist:5wFXmYsg3KFJ8BDsQudJ4f">Manchester Orchestra</a> released 2017's A Black Mile to the Surface before Bad Books reconvened for a third record. As the trio of Hull, <a href="spotify:artist:66ScZxprvrMbCtN4ivA0JX">Devine</a>, and McDowell, they omitted drums and bass, opting for harmonic atmosphere on the <a href="spotify:artist:1zkHConahaP6T8EBpg8BeE">Ethan Gruska</a>-produced III. It arrived on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Loma+Vista%22">Loma Vista</a> in 2019. ~ Marcy Donelson, Rovi