Marmozets

British post-hardcore quintet Marmozets became firm favorites on the U.K. scene, welding youthful punk aggression to superb technical proficiency. The band was formed in 2007 in the small town of Bingley, near Bradford, West Yorkshire, by two sets of siblings who had met at school: Becca Macintyre (vocals) was joined by her brothers Sam (guitar) and Josh (drums); Jack Bottomley (guitar) by his brother Will (bass). With a sound that combined the melodic emo-punk-pop of early Paramore with the technical post-hardcore of British pioneers like Hundred Reasons and Hell Is for Heroes, they began their performing career when the average age of the members was just 17. Honing their skills with years of gigging, they attracted attention with a series of self-released EPs, eventually graduating to the festival circuit. In 2014 they signed to Roadrunner for the release of their debut full-length album, The Weird and Wonderful Marmozets, which peaked at number 25 on the U.K. album chart. After its release, the band toured the world, but Becca nearly quit the band after suffering serious knee injuries and going through a period of self-doubt and depression. Fighting back, she and the band took some time out to focus on writing. They finally returned in January 2018 with a follow-up album, Knowing What You Know Now. Produced by Gil Norton and preceded by the singles "Play," "Habits," and "Major System Error," it had a somewhat more straightforward rock sound than its predecessor, without sacrificing any of its essential energy and heaviness. ~ John D. Buchanan