Big Bliss

Brooklyn's post-punk trio Big Bliss channels its love of the style's legends -- the Cure, Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen -- into its own driving yet melodic sound on releases including 2018's debut album At Middle Distance. The band formed in 2015, when brothers Tim and Cory Race decided to make music together for the first time. While growing up in Ohio, the brothers were raised by separate parents, but lived just a few blocks from each other after moving to New York. They rounded out Cory's drumming prowess and Tim's vocals, guitar, and love of post-punk with bassist/vocalist Wallace May, formerly of Young Tides and a longtime friend of the Races. Initially, Big Bliss was a recording-only project, issuing its debut EP Keep Near in 2016. However, the band soon made a name for itself as a live act, buoying its frequent shows with singles such as 2017's "Fortune" and the following year's "Contact." Big Bliss released its first full-length, At Middle Distance, in October 2018. ~ Heather Phares