Choir Boy

Led by the heartbroken, ethereal vocals of songwriter Adam Klopp, Choir Boy merges shimmering '80s pop and new wave inspirations with a brooding indie sensibility. The project's debut album, Passive with Desire, appeared in 2016. The Choir Boy moniker was inspired by insults directed at Klopp as he fronted various bands in Cleveland during his teens. A onetime Mormon, he left Ohio after high school to attend college in Utah, forming Choir Boy in the mid-2010s. Fleshing out his demos with a full band that included vocalist Katrina Marie Ricks Peterson, guitarist Bret Meisenbach, keyboardist Kyle Hooper, bass player Chaz Costello, and drummer Jacob Hall, Passive with Desire saw release on Team Love Records in 2016. The project then signed with Dais Records, which oversaw the release of the EP Sunday Light in 2017 before reissuing Choir Boy's debut album with more expansive packaging the following year. Meanwhile, the band toured with the likes of Cold Cave, Ceremony, and Snail Mail. Recorded with Klopp, Costello, guitarist Michael Paulsen, and saxophonist/keyboardist Jeff Kleinman, sophomore album Gathering Swans arrived on Dais in 2020. ~ Marcy Donelson