Formed in Los Angeles in 1983, The Long Ryders took their place in the Paisley Underground scene while developing a more clearly defined identity centered on country rock, folk rock and jangle pop, with a tension inherited from punk. Around the classic quartet of Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy, Tom Stevens and Greg Sowders, The Long Ryders combined vocal harmonies, chiming guitars and a storytelling sensibility rooted in the American tradition, in a lineage that calls to mind both The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield or The Flying Burrito Brothers. After the EP 10-5-60 in 1983, The Long Ryders released Native Sons in 1984, State of Our Union in 1985 and Two-Fisted Tales in 1987, before splitting up at the end of the 1980s. The band later reformed sporadically for live shows and returned to studio work with Psychedelic Country Soul in 2019 and September November in 2023. The Long Ryders thus remain tied to a specific meeting point between 1980s American indie rock, a roots aesthetic and Californian melody.