Formation and early work (2004–2010) In September 2004,
Southwestern University students Curtis Roush (guitar), Thomas Choate (drums) and Jackie O’Brien (vocals/keyboards), along with Ryan “Badcock” O’Donoghue (bass) began playing together as a
post-hardcore art rock collective. They were often billed with area hardcore bands such as 25 Dollar Massacre, Thumbscrew and
At All Cost and quickly grew a reputation for their visceral live shows. The band took a year hiatus while Roush studied
audio engineering and O’Brien studied
linguistics and
Flamenco guitar in
Madrid, during which time Choate moved away to study
eco building. In October 2006, upon O’Brien's return, the band brought in Joseph Mirasole, a drummer from a local high school drum line, via
Craigslist. During this period the band recorded their first studio EP,
Touches. Soon after, the band relocated to
Austin where O’Brien and Roush enrolled in Master's programs at the
University of Texas. They parted ways amicably with Badcock, with Jackie taking over bass duties and Roush helping with vocals. In 2008 they released the EP
Love Like Montopolis, which showcased a more delicate, downtempo
post-rock sound, and brought on local singer-songwriter A.J. Vincent on keys and vocals.
The Bright Light Social Hour (2010–2014) The band continued to grow their reputation with consistent high energy shows in southern states, their sound evolving to include elements of
soul,
southern rock and
psychedelia. The band released their debut full-length album in late 2010, entitled
The Bright Light Social Hour. The album was recorded in Austin during summer 2010 with producer
Danny Reisch. Momentum built for the band under the leadership of new manager Alex O'Brien, and in March 2011 they swept the 29th Annual Austin Music Awards during
SXSW, with an unprecedented 6 awards, including Band of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year (for their song "Detroit"). Subsequently, The Bright Light Social Hour began a relentless touring schedule, playing hundreds of shows across the United States, Canada and Mexico including opening for
Aerosmith and appearances at
Lollapalooza,
Austin City Limits,
Hangout,
Sasquatch!,
Wakarusa and
Ottawa Bluesfest. In January 2013, citing growing personal and creative differences, Vincent was replaced by keyboardist/guitarist Edward "Shreddward" Braillif, whom Mirasole had known DJing in Austin. On June 25, 2013 Mirasole, Roush and O'Brien were in attendance at Senator
Wendy Davis' famous filibuster of
Texas Senate Bill 5. Inspired by the ferocity of the crowd gathered in the Capitol, they rushed to their studio and by the morning had released the song "Wendy Davis," with an accompanying video made in part with protest footage taken on the band's phones. The video was featured in
MSNBC's national coverage of the event. In May 2013 the band announced they'd begun work on their second full-length album, to be performed, produced and engineered by Roush, O'Brien and Mirasole, and mixed by
Chris Coady.
Space Is Still the Place (2015–2018) On January 19, 2015, after a severe and protracted battle with
bipolar I disorder, Alex O'Brien, the band's long-time manager and Jackie's brother, committed suicide. Jackie discovered him outside the band's home studio where he resided soon after suffering a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had resigned his position as manager months earlier, but continued to advise the band until his death. On January 20, the band announced via
The Huffington Post that their newest album,
Space Is Still the Place would be released March 10, 2015 on
Frenchkiss Records. On February 17, 2015,
Jay Z's
Life+Times premiered the music video for their first single, "Infinite Cities", directed by bassist/singer Jackie O'Brien.
Space Is Still the Place was released on March 10 to positive reviews, described by
AllMusic's Mark Deming as "an ambitious and wildly entertaining journey into the minds of the men who created it." The band celebrated the release with a sold-out performance at Stubb's Austin including a tribute to Alex featuring prominent Austin musicians
Ray Wylie Hubbard,
Walker Lukens,
Megafauna, Migrant Kids, and members of
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears. Songs from
Space Is Still the Place have been featured in
HBO's
Vice Principals,
MTV's
Teen Wolf,
Fox's
Brooklyn Nine-Nine,
The CW's
Riverdale,
NBC's
Midnight, Texas,
Audience's
Kingdom,
USA's
Shooter,
Hulu's
Shut Eye,
Terrence Malick's 2017 film
Song to Song,
Ubisoft's
Far Cry 5 and a
Nintendo Switch commercial. Following the release of
Space Is Still the Place, TBLSH embarked on a year-long tour of the United States, Canada and Mexico, including runs supporting
Dr. Dog,
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros,
Dave Matthews Band,
The Flaming Lips and
Galactic, and appearances at
Corona Capital and
Shaky Knees Music Festival. On November 13, 2015, shortly before taking the stage at
Lincoln Hall (Chicago), the band heard news of the
November 2015 Paris attacks and scrambled to have their performance recorded. Soon after, the digital album,
Live at Lincoln Hall, was available for download from the band's
Bandcamp page in exchange for any donation to the
French Red Cross. In March 2016, TBLSH released a cover of
The Beach Boys' "
All I Wanna Do", which was featured on the
All Along the Moontower: Austin Gets Psychedelic compilation. On November 4, 2016, TBLSH and
Israel Nash released the three-song collaborative EP
Neighbors. The EP was recorded between the two bands' studios near Austin, and was released digitally and as a limited edition 7" vinyl record. In January 2017, TBLSH were hired by executive producer
Bryan Cranston to compose the theme for the
Amazon Video series
Sneaky Pete, entitled "Harder Out Here". On January 20, Donald Trump's Inauguration Day, TBLSH released the
Jim Eno-produced single, "Tear Down That Wall," described by the
Austin-American Statesman as "a searing ode to unity." The accompanying video features Austin musicians as well as Cuban youth smiling and waving middle fingers. On September 28, 2018 TBLSH released
Missing Something, a five-song EP produced by the band and mixed by
Spoon's
Jim Eno, via
Modern Outsider. The
Austin Chronicle premiered an O'Brien-directed music video for the song "Trip With Lola." Another O'Brien-directed video featuring frogs leaping from breasts in slow motion followed for "Missing Something", winning Best Music Video at the Top Indie Film Awards and earning official selection at the Austin Music Video Festival, Berlin Music Video Awards and Erotic & Bizarre Art Film Festival in Alicante, Spain.
Jude Vol. I & II and lineup change (2019–2022) On January 3, 2019
Relix announced the February 1 release of a new album, entitled
Jude Vol. I and premiered the single "Lie To Me (Große Lüge)". The album was produced by
Chris Coady and recorded at
Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood. Following an extensive North American spring tour, the band took some time off, returning to the stage in November with new drummer Zac Catanzaro of
Walker Lukens. On September 26, 2019, the 50th anniversary of
The Beatles'
Abbey Road, TBLSH released a cover of "
Sun King". The band returned with
Jude Vol. II on August 28, 2020. Released on
Roll Call Records, six of the album's eight tracks were recorded by Chris Coady in the same session as
Jude Vol. I. Lead single "Enough" was recorded in late 2019 by Curtis and Jackie at their studio, Escondido Sound.
Medium premiered the song and video, writing, "Brimming with buttery psychedelic aromas amid tints of polished dream-pop, “Enough” reveals not only the talent, but the brilliant innovation of The Bright Light Social Hour." The video was nominated for 4 awards at the Austin Music Video Festival, winning an honorary "best psychedelic astral orgy" award. In 2021, the band was reported to be appearing on the podcast
Storybound. In May 2021, they released the two-song EP
Enter Weed Martyr, featuring single/video "Guillotine Billionaires". Following keyboardist/guitarist Shreddward Braillif's early 2021 departure, the EP showcased a three-piece TBLSH consisting of O'Brien, Roush and Catanzaro. In November 2021, the band issued the 11th anniversary edition of their debut album,
The Bright Light Social Hour. The reissue introduced lost track "Ocean", which was cut from the original track list when mixing time ran dry, as well as a demos EP titled
Sound and the Jury. The release show at Mohawk Austin marked the debut performance of new keyboardist/vocalist Mia Carruthers. In March 2022 they released another Beatles cover/video, "I Me Mine", recorded during the
COVID pandemic at the request of
White Denim's James Pertralli. That same month, new percussionist Juan Alfredo Ríos of Austin bands Como Las Movies and Easy Compadre! made his debut appearance with the band at
SXSW 2022. In August 2022, TBLSH released a cover of
Madonna's "
La Isla Bonita" featuring
Israel Nash, marking the debut recording of the new five-piece lineup. In September they released the single "The Sheriff" protesting police brutality, with a version featuring hip-hop duo
Riders Against the Storm. They followed up with
Smoked Out in January 2023, continuing with the heavier,
industrial-influenced sound of The Sheriff, with a video protesting cannabis-related incarceration benefitting
Last Prisoner Project. In February 2023, TBLSH were featured on The Song Confessional podcast, which produced the
Walker Lukens-TBLSH collaborative single "$eed".
Emergency Leisure (2023–Present) In March 2023, The Bright Light Social Hour shared the single/video "Not New" and announced
Emergency Leisure. Earmilk described "Not New" as "a mesmerizing blend of Texas trippiness and disco-punk groove" and "a testament to the band's ability to create a tight yet bewildering journey with groove-rich drums, psychedelic synths, and a dirty dancefloor payoff that would make
Nile Rodgers blush". Additional album singles "Prefecture", "Most High", "Small Celebrations" and "Lifers Only" led to
Emergency Leisure's release on August 2 on the band's own Escondido Sound label. The album received high praise for the band's continually surprising evolution, with
The Cosmic Clash stating, "From start to finish,
Emergency Leisure delivers an experience greater than the sum of its parts. Gorgeously arranged and produced, it’s a journey worth taking again and again." A supporting tour of the US, Canada and Mexico kicked off in Alaska, with most dates opened by Montreal's
Choses Sauvages, who the band site as an inspiration for
Emergency Leisure. Several songs from the album feature music videos and studio videos produced by O'Brien's film production company, Hermano Sisters Films. ==Production==