Modern English

Formed in Colchester, Essex, in 1979, Modern English first emerged in the wake of British post-punk before shifting toward a more melodic new wave, where angular guitars, pronounced bass lines and keyboards took a clearer role. Built around Robbie Grey, Gary McDowell, Mick Conroy, Stephen Walker and Richard Brown, Modern English released Mesh & Lace in 1981 on 4AD, followed by After the Snow in 1982 — the album that includes “I Melt with You” and helped carry the band beyond the UK, notably to the United States. With Ricochet Days (1984) and Stop Start (1986), Modern English moved toward more accessible songwriting without abandoning their post-punk roots. Their trajectory was later marked by several splits and reunions, while retaining a core of long-standing members. Returning to the studio much later with Take Me to the Trees (2017), Modern English maintained an aesthetic that blends the tension inherited from the early 1980s indie scene with melodic sensibility and synthetic atmospheres.