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