The Shins

The Shins originated in Albuquerque, New Mexico, around James Mercer in 1996 in the wake of Flake Music. The band initially fell within an indie rock and indie pop vein marked by bright guitars, oblique melodies, and songwriting that blended pop sensibility, folk-rock elements and light psychedelic touches. After an initial single in the late 1990s, The Shins released Oh, Inverted World in 2001 on Sub Pop, followed by Chutes Too Narrow in 2003 — two records that established the band in the American independent scene of the early 2000s. With Wincing the Night Away (2007) they broadened their arrangements and incorporated more keyboards and studio textures; as line-ups shifted the project gradually became centered on James Mercer. In parallel, Mercer developed Broken Bells with Danger Mouse, a collaboration that accompanied the group's move toward more produced sounds without severing its melodic identity. The Shins returned with Port of Morrow in 2012, Heartworms in 2017 and The Worm’s Heart in 2018, the latter built from reworked versions of Heartworms tracks. Between indie pop, alternative rock and understated songwriting, The Shins maintain a precise song format, driven by Mercer’s flexible voice and a consistent taste for detailed arrangements.