Cold War Kids

Cold War Kids formed in 2004 in Southern California, and their early records drew on gospel, blues and soul as much as indie rock. The debut album, Robbers & Cowards (2006), set the template: clattering drums, piano chords hammered rather than played, and Nathan Willett's strained high voice. Willett wrote many of those early songs as character sketches, among them a father who drinks away the family's savings in 'We Used to Vacation' and a man facing execution in 'Saint John'.

The line-up has changed several times, with Willett and bassist Matt Maust the constant core. Later albums, including Mine Is Yours and Hold My Home, trimmed back the rawness in favour of bigger choruses and cleaner production, which brought the band onto mainstream rock radio.