Originally a backing band for
burlesque shows, in their early years DeVotchKa also toured with burlesque performer and model
Dita Von Teese. Numerous nationwide tours in support of self-released records earned the band an underground following. Their song "How It Ends", from the 2004 album of the same name, introduced the band to a wider audience after being featured in the trailer for
Everything Is Illuminated, in a 2008
Gears of War 2 trailer called "The Last Day", and in an episode of
Everwood. "How It Ends" reached Number 101 in the UK Singles Charts. Their performance at the 2006
Bonnaroo music festival was considered a breakout event. In 2006,
Arcade Fire singer
Win Butler suggested to DeVotchKa that they arrange the
Siouxsie and the Banshees song "
The Last Beat of My Heart". The musicians found the idea interesting and they recorded that song for 2006's
Curse Your Little Heart EP. In between tours, the band was picked by first time film directors
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris to score
Little Miss Sunshine, a
2006 film that would go on to garner four
Academy Award nominations. DeVotchKa, along with composer
Mychael Danna, composed and performed the majority of the music for the film's
soundtrack and were nominated for a
2006 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack. The main song, "The Winner Is", was also used in a commercial by the French-based environment and energy company
Suez and the Dutch pension fund
PGGM. Their 2008 album,
A Mad & Faithful Telling, reached No. 9 on the
Billboard Heatseekers chart and No. 29 on the Top Independent Albums chart. "New World" and "Head Honcho" were featured in a season 4 episode of the
Showtime television show
Weeds. In 2008, Boston newspaper
The Phoenix named them the Best New Band from Colorado. The band supported
Muse at the
Stade de France on June 12, 2010, playing to over 80,000 people. The band's newest album,
This Night Falls Forever, was released on August 24, 2018, via Concord Records. On July 13, 2018, DeVotchKa released "Straight Shot", which is the first track on the album. ==Members==