The Early began in northern New Jersey in 2004 as a band of high school buddies coming of age at the apex of indie rock and fixated on the “post-rock” sounds of Do Make Say Think, Jim O’Rourke and Tortoise. Since then the group has had multiple reincarnations, but most recently in the two-piece of Alex Lewis (guitars, synthesizers) and Jake Nussbaum (drums, electronics). Reunited in Philadelphia in 2019, Alex and Jake have spent the past seven years reinventing their shared musical language, infusing the textural grandeur of post-rock with the communicational intimacy of jazz improvisation and the patient grooves of minimalism and electronica. Their latest release, Cusp EP (Island House Recordings) was described by The Old Grey Cat as “a weather map” featuring “wind, rain transitioning to snow (and back again), rumbles of thunder cruising uncomfortably close, and god rays... It’s rock. It’s jazz. It’s noisy. It’s intense.” 


Press for Cusp EP:
“The three pieces on it sound very much like one piece, only an instant of white space drop out to indicate where tracks begin and end. And yet, there is a progression to them, as the session moves from jingling, glistening minimalism to primal propulsive jazz rock, to a dream-fugue finale decked with Patrick Shiroishi’s saxophone.”- Dusted

“Sounds the way I imagine a weather map would if, indeed, weather maps were translated into notes and chords.” - The Old Grey Cat

Press for Impatient
“Deftly elemental... sprawling tundras of white noise, rumbling guitar fuzz and hypnotic beats.” - Record Crates United

“A rainstorm of electric sound.” - WXPN

“A stream of grandeur, illuminating hidden messages filtering through angular arrangements and textured percussive waves.” - Foxy Digitalis
 
Music available at Bandcamp.
Instagram @TheEarlyBand
Email: theearlyband [at] gmail [dot] com
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Image Credit: PJ Agbay