Hercules & Love Affair

Hercules & Love Affair is the vision of Andy Butler, an artist who has continually synthesized and twisted strains of house and pop with a varying cast of fellow songwriters, producers, singers, and instrumentalists. The group made a surprising commercial breakthrough with their second single, the Antony-fronted "Blind" (2008), a number 40 U.K. pop hit inspired by Butler's experience as a gay man who grew up alienated only to experience other forms of distress as a liberated adult. Although house music is based on club play and singles, Hercules & Love Affair have thrived with the full-length format. Butler and his collaborators have emphasized highly personal songwriting as much as their detailed production on albums including their self-titled debut (2008), The Feast of the Broken Heart (2014), Omnion (2017), and In Amber (2022).