The Rosebuds

With their dark indie pop sensibility, the Rosebuds are a Raleigh, North Carolina, act that formed in May 2001 with the meeting of guitarist and singer Ivan Howard and keyboardist Kelly Crisp. Drummer Billy Alphin completed the trio, contributing to a seven-inch and some demos that led to some interest from Merge records, which released their debut, Make Out, in 2003. Alphin left the band and was replaced by a rotating cast behind the kit, including Lee Waters, Jonathan Bass, Giorgio Angelini, and Matt McCaughan. The trio released the six-song The Rosebuds Unwind EP in 2005 and followed it that same year with Birds Make Good Neighbors. Their third, Night of the Furies, was issued by Merge in April of 2007.