Icarus The Owl

Combining the soaring melodicism of pop-punk with the technical intricacy of progressive metal and post-hardcore, Portland outfit Icarus the Owl was formed in 2009 by singer/guitarist Joey Rubenstein. Rubenstein wrote the band's first album, The Spotless Mind, in 2009, recording the bulk of it himself with help from a handful of musicians who would constitute their first lineup. Although this lineup was responsible for a 2011 EP called Qualia, Rubenstein brought in an entirely new group of musicians to record the band's 2012 follow-up album, Love Always, Leviathan. Like their debut, it was self-released and relied on an ambitious mix of math rock technicality and pop hooks. It also introduced drummer Rob Bernknopf into the fold; he would remain Rubenstein's primary collaborator for subsequent albums like 2014's eponymous release and 2015's Pilot Waves, the latter of which marked their label debut for Blue Swan Records. Having joined just before Pilot Waves, lead guitarist Tim Brown remained on board for 2017's Rearm Circuits, Icarus the Owl's fifth LP. ~ Timothy Monger