The Orwells formed in the Chicago suburbs around 2009. Their early sound was raw and energetic, landing somewhere between garage rock and punk. A song like "Who Needs You" from their 2012 EP 'Other Voices' captured that spirit well, with its driving rhythm and unpolished vocals from frontman Mario Cuomo.
Their 2013 album 'Remember When' built on that foundation. Tracks like "Dirty Sheets" and "Buddy" kept the energy high, helping them gather a following in the indie rock scene. The band's lineup shifted over time, with original members like drummer Henry Brinner and bassist Grant Brinner eventually departing, leaving Cuomo as the sole founding member by the late 2010s.
They released 'Terrible Human Beings' in 2019, working with producer Mike Elizondo. The album showed a shift toward a more produced sound compared to their earlier, rougher recordings. Songs like "Last Call (Go Home)" and "All Cleaned Up" reflected this change, trading some of the garage-rock grit for a cleaner studio approach.
Keep it compact: a lyric you come back to, a live memory, or the part of the catalog you would point someone toward first.
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