The Districts

Since the early 2010s, The Districts have explored indie, folk and pop to deliver a sprawling vision of modern rock. School classmates Rob Grote, Braden Lawrence, Connor Jacobus and Mark Larson formed the band in central Pennsylvania in 2009. After dropping a couple of EPs, they released their debut album, Telephone, in 2012. Laced with bursts of harmonica and Grote’s thoughtful lyricism, the LP is an exhibition for bluesy folk, but it marked just one step in their evolution. With 2015’s A Flourish and a Spoil, the group dove into classic rock before jumping into more ethereal, experimental soundscapes for 2017’s Popular Manipulations. Grote used his isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic to pen 2022’s Great American Painting, a focused rumination on American morality. Imbued with electronic and pulsing instrumentation that can evoke racing thoughts or tranquil meditation, the project adds thematic and sonic depth. It’s a self-contained example of a group whose curiosity knows no bounds.