Biography

Originally hailing from the town of Falmouth on the Cornish coast of England, three-piece Tall Ships went through a number of changes during their fledgling years as a band. Largely influenced by Battles and Sigur Rós, school friends Ric Phethean (guitar, vocals, synths), Matt Parker (bass, sampler), and Jamie Bush (drums, bass) first got together to play at a friend’s house party before releasing their self-titled EP in March 2010 to a flurry of press attention. The EP was quickly followed by the There Is Nothing But Chemistry Here EP, which was promoted via shows in New York, support slots with the likes of Los Campesinos!, and an appearance at the Reading and Leeds festivals. The band, however, felt unsure about the math rock sound of their EPs as it contradicted their live shows, which relied more on heavy guitars and soaring chorus lines than tight, angular precision and synths. Having previously lived and recorded in Falmouth, the band decided to up stakes and relocate to Brighton to begin work on their debut full-length Everything Touching. Released through Big Scary Monsters in October 2012, the record introduced itself with the decidedly crunching riffs of "T=0," while "Best Ever" brought the high-five ethics of Fang Island to the Tall Ships arsenal. Along with the uplifting rework of "Books," the album was evidence that Tall Ships had found their less math rock, more heavy, anthemic formula. Despite critical acclaim for their debut, and a solid following, the band suddenly found themselves without a label or management. Determined to push on, they spent the next four years slowly recovering, ultimately self-funding (with a little help from Fatcat Records) their sophomore album, 2017's Impressions. ~ Daniel Clancy, Rovi