The Blessed Isles

The Blessed Isles are a Brooklyn-based dream pop duo whose lush, chiming guitars and driving drum machine rhythms recall <a href="spotify:artist:5Wabl1lPdNOeIn0SQ5A1mp">the Cocteau Twins</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:72X6FHxaShda0XeQw3vbeF">Slowdive</a> as well as the more uptempo, urgent moments of <a href="spotify:artist:7bu3H8JO7d0UbMoVzbo70s">the Cure</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0yNLKJebCb8Aueb54LYya3">New Order</a>. Initially formed as a solo project of Aaron Closson, frontman of Dallas alternative rockers <a href="spotify:artist:24EYqKeRBSbVW8ldkJfwJg">the Hourly Radio</a>, the Blessed Isles became a duo with the addition of Nolan Thies from fellow Dallas group <a href="spotify:artist:2CwYsD9Y92jwSbriQdnrBB">Little Black Dress</a>. The duo released a digital EP titled Caroline in 2011, but they quickly pulled it from online retailers once they signed with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Saint+Marie+Records%22">Saint Marie Records</a> that year. The Blessed Isles contributed tracks to the label's Static Waves compilation series while continuing to work on their debut full-length, in addition to Closson completing graduate studies at Yale. The album, titled Straining Hard Against the Strength of Night, finally arrived in April of 2016. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi