Cults, aka multi-instrumentalist/singer Madeline Follin and multi-instrumentalist Brian Oblivion, release their fourth studio album Host via Sinderlyn.
With praise for singles: ‘Spit You Out‘ that Consequence of Sound compares to a “My Bloody Valentine sample,” ‘Trials‘ that Entertainment Weekly calls “a witchy dream-pop track that channels the creepiness of an abandoned opera house” and Variety calls “remarkably atmospheric,” “No Risk” that The Line of Best Fit calls “empowering,” and “Monolithic” that “merges Cults’ classic earworm melodies with the band’s new cinematic scope” (Stereogum), Host showcases that the duo is still discovering fresh layers while keeping their signature dreamy sound.
Cults were deep into the process of recording Host when Follin let a secret slip. “In the past, I’d never brought my own music to the table because I was just too shy,” says Follin. “When Shane and I heard what Madeline had written, we couldn’t believe it,” says Oblivion. “The music just floored us.”
What followed was a radical reimagining, both of the band’s sound and its dynamic, and the result is Cults’ utterly mesmerizing new album. Host was co-produced by Cults and Shane Stoneback, mixed by John Congleton, mastered by Heba Kadry, and features Loren Shane Humphrey (Last Shadow Puppets, Florence and the Machine, Guards) on drums. Written more collaboratively than ever before and recorded primarily with live instruments for the first time, the collection marks the start of a bold new chapter for the band, one fueled by an ever-deepening trust and a boundless appetite for growth and experimentation.
