The Handsome Family

Formed in Chicago in 1993, The Handsome Family centers on Brett and Rennie Sparks, a married couple based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, since 2001. Brett Sparks, originally from Odessa, Texas, composes the music, while Rennie Sparks, from Long Island, writes narrative lyrics drawing on American folklore, gothic fiction and true-crime. Initially formed with drummer Mike Werner, The Handsome Family soon became a duo augmented by guest musicians on stage and in the studio. Their music straddles alternative country, gothic country and Americana, blending traditional country, folk, bluegrass and dark ballads, delivered with a deep vocal and spare arrangements. After Odessa (1994) and Milk and Scissors (1996), they broadened their audience with Through the Trees (1998), followed by In the Air (2000), Twilight (2001) and Singing Bones (2003), whose track Far from Any Road was later used as the theme for the first season of True Detective. Their discography continued with Last Days of Wonder (2006), Honey Moon (2009), Wilderness (2013), Unseen (2016) and Hollow (2023).