Biography

An American psychedelic/noise-rock duo led by brothers Edwin and Andy White, Tonstartssbandht (pronounced Tahn-starts-bandit) emerged in 2008 with a sound that employs an aural mish-mash of loop-driven pop, doomy, experimental blues, and nervy, improvised, and fractured lo-fi indie rock. Known for their dynamic live performances, the band began self-releasing albums shortly after forming and amassed a substantial sonic arsenal before inking a deal with Mexican Summer and issuing their official debut long-player, Sorcerer, in 2017. Petunia, the brothers' dizzying sophomore outing for the label, followed in 2021. The group was founded Florida-raised, Brooklyn/Montreal-based siblings Edwin and Andy White, who spent part of their teenage years exploring the permeable boundaries of improvisational noise rock in their hometown of Orlando. In 2009, after striking out on their own, they self-released a trio of albums -- An When, Dick Nights, and Maihama -- and soon became fixtures in the Montreal D.I.Y. experimental music scene. The following year saw Tonstartssbandht release their music through Arbutus Records, issuing their debut EP for the label, Now I Am Become, in 2012. In 2014 the band released Overseas, a double-live LP that featured 80 minutes of music culled from over 25 hours of material recorded during their 2013 European tour. In 2017 the duo made the move to Mexican Summer and released Sorcerer, their first official full-length outing. Three years later the band returned with the dynamic and focused Petunia, which served as the first Tonstartssbandht effort to be composed and recorded in a single place over a succinct period of time. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi