Formation, early EPs and hiatus (2002–2007) High Tone Son of a Bitch formed in the early 2000s in the Bay Area, with the Kott brothers emerging from the earlier band Cruevo. The debut EP
Better You Than Me was released in 2003 and featured guest synthesizer from Dave Edwardson of
Neurosis. A second EP,
Velocipede, was recorded in 2004 but remained unreleased for many years. In 2007, Andrew Kott died following a fall, and the band went on hiatus for more than a decade. During the hiatus, Paul Kott played in the Bay Area group
Kalas with
Matt Pike.
Reformation and Lifecycles (2018–2020) In 2018, Paul's nephew Juan Herrera—Andrew Kott's stepson, whom Andrew had taught to play guitar and who later received a Latin Grammy nomination—encouraged him to restart HTSOB. The band returned by issuing
Velocipede digitally and releasing the comeback EP
Death of a New Day / Eye in the Sky in 2019. The EP received positive coverage from outlets including
Ghost Cult Magazine and
Revolver. In 2020 the band released
Lifecycles: EPs of HTSOB with Tee Pee Records, which compiled remastered versions of
Better You Than Me,
Velocipede,
Death of a New Day / Eye in the Sky, and the newly issued
Wicked Threads!. The release was previewed by
Invisible Oranges.
Live at the Hallowed Halls and later activity (2022–present) In 2022, HTSOB partnered with Ripple Music to release
Live at the Hallowed Halls, a live-in-studio album recorded in Portland. The record was noted by multiple outlets:
Tinnitist called it "a thrilling live in the studio... instant classic", while
Sea of Tranquility described it as "a fabulous slice of psychedelic doom". == Musical style ==