The Shins

Latest Release

Essential Albums

  • Oh, Inverted World

Artist Playlists

More To Hear

About The Shins

Founded in 1996 by singer-songwriter James Mercer, The Shins became one of the most popular and successful indie rock bands of the 2000s. ∙ With only a one-off single deal from Seattle label Sub Pop, The Shins delivered the career-making single “New Slang,” later named on Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Songs of the 2000s list. ∙ “This song will change your life”—Natalie Portman’s famous speech about The Shins in the 2004 film Garden State introduced new fans to their 2001 debut album, Oh, Inverted World. ∙ Their second LP, 2003’s Gold-certified Chutes Too Narrow, is considered the band’s critical peak and was included on Pitchfork’s Top 200 Albums of the 2000s list. ∙ The group’s Grammy-nominated 2007 album Wincing the Night Away debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200—the highest charting release in the Sub Pop label’s history. ∙ After focusing on the side-project Broken Bells, Mercer revived The Shins in 2012 with a new lineup for the comeback album Port of Morrow, which featured their biggest hit, “Simple Song.” ∙ The band returned after another five-year break in 2017 with the Top 20 album Heartworms, followed by an entirely rerecorded alternate version titled The Worm’s Heart in 2018.

FORMED
1996
GENRE
Alternative

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada