Hunters

Brooklyn's grungy rockers Hunters revolve around core members (and couple) Izzy Almeida and Derek Watson. Despite very different backgrounds -- Almeida spent her formative years between Albuquerque and Rio de Janeiro, while Watson grew up near Philadelphia and went to wrestling matches with his father -- the pair bonded over their love of <a href="spotify:artist:6aVjo0xHSiuW5hkasoYSR3">the Melvins</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5UqTO8smerMvxHYA5xsXb6">Sonic Youth</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4BFMTELQyWJU1SwqcXMBm3">the Stooges</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:4lYtGx5NZQJHsMyhHc5iz3">the Cramps</a> when they met while working at a Chinatown arcade in 2009. At the time, Watson was in a noise band called Realms, but he and Almeida soon began writing songs together. Gigs at venues like the D.I.Y. mecca Death by Audio and self-released cassettes and 7"s led to 2011's debut EP, Hands on Fire, which featured production work by <a href="spotify:artist:2rmvGSbuMaxn7ZXe3ANXMC">James Iha</a>. The duo officially became a quartet with drummer Gregg Giuffré and bassist Thomas Martin in 2012, and early the following year Hunters signed to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Mom+%2B+Pop+Records%22">Mom + Pop Records</a>. The band reunited with <a href="spotify:artist:2rmvGSbuMaxn7ZXe3ANXMC">Iha</a> to work on its self-titled debut, which arrived in October 2013. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi