Foxing

Known for a theatrical style of introspective indie rock, Foxing brought together active members of the St. Louis, Missouri music scene in the early 2010s. With backgrounds that included post-rock, emo, and math rock bands, they expanded upon guitar-oriented fare with orchestral instruments beginning with their full-length debut, 2013's The Albatross. The Matt Bayles-produced Dealer followed in 2015, before the band took a synth rock direction on 2018's Nearer My God and were assisted by the Grammy-winning John Congleton on 2021's Draw Down the Moon.

Led by singer Conor Murphy, Foxing formed in 2011 after the dissolution of Hunter Gatherer, a post-rock project that had common members including bass player Josh Coll and drummer Jon Hellwig. The group issued an EP titled Old Songs in 2012. Their debut LP, The Albatross, arrived in 2013 on indie label Count Your Lucky Stars Records, and had strings, saxophones, and brass fleshing out their lush guitar palette. The lineup of Murphy, Coll, Hellwig, and guitarists Eric Hudson and Ricky Sampson soon signed with Triple Crown Records, which released the band's second full-length, the similarly expansive Dealer, in October 2015.

In 2017, Coll left the group to focus on filmmaking, and Murphy released a self-titled album under the solo moniker Smidley. With producer Chris Walla on board, the band reconvened as a four-piece for their third album, Nearer My God, also issued by Triple Crown. By the time of the sessions for August 2021's Draw Down the Moon, Foxing had become a trio, Sampson having left the previous September. The record was their first for Louis Posen's Hopeless Records and featured production contributions from the Grammy Award-winning John Congleton and Manchester Orchestra's Andy Hull. ~ Marcy Donelson, Rovi