* En anglais uniquement
Tancred is the '90s alt-rock-influenced solo project of singer/guitarist Jess Abbott, formerly of the indie rock group
Now, Now. While her 2011 debut,
Capes, had an emo-influenced lo-fi demeanor, she developed a more aggressive sound that embraced hooks à la
the Breeders and
Weezer by her third album, 2016's
Out of the Garden.
Abbott relocated from her home state of Maine to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2009 in hopes of playing guitar for Cacie Dalager and
Bradley Hale following the release of
Now, Now Every Children's 2008 debut album,
Cars. They welcomed her to the lineup, and the group shortened its name to
Now, Now beginning with their 2010 EP Neighbors. In the meantime, Abbott worked on her own brittle, partly acoustic, self-recorded songs. She collected them on her
Tancred debut, the self-released
Capes, in 2011. (It received a label release by No Sleep Records three years later.) The
Now, Now LP
Threads followed in 2012.
Made with help only from
Hale, Abbott's more energetic, electric guitar-centered follow-up
Tancred arrived in 2013 on Top Shelf Records. Abbott brought in bassist Terrence Vitali and drummer Kevin Medina to play on demos for her next LP, and the pair would go on to perform on official recordings and as members of her touring band. Produced by
Anna Waronker (
that dog.) and
Steven McDonald (
Redd Kross/
OFF!), the still more aggressive, part alt-rock and part power pop
Out of the Garden was issued by Polyvinyl in 2016. Around that time, Abbott moved back to Maine and then parted ways with
Now, Now to focus on
Tancred. Recorded with
Lewis Pesacov (
Best Coast,
Valley Queen) at his home studio in L.A.,
Tancred's more nuanced fourth album,
Nightstand, slightly softened her sound while retaining her hooky guitar core. ~ Marcy Donelson