Chromatics originally hailed from Seattle as a quartet featuring vocalist Adam Miller, drummer Hannah Blilie, guitarist Devin Welch, and bassist Michelle Nolan. That lineup debuted in 2002 with a Calvin Johnson-produced 7” on Gold Standard Laboratories — a split with Die Monitr Batss — and followed with the similarly GSL-issued Chrome Rats Vs Basement Ruts LP.
While Chrome Rats was critically hailed, Chromatics couldn’t keep it together, and Miller was soon the only member in good standing (Blilie, Welch, and Nolan went on to form the similar-sounding Shoplifting). Unworried, Miller added guitar and drum programming to his vocal duties and tapped bassist Nat Sahlstrom for the 2003 GSL 7” Ice hatchets. That was followed by the February 2004 full-length Plaster Hounds (which featured the percussion work of Get Hustle’s Ron Avila), and a repositioning of the Chromatics axis to greater reflect its dub and no wave influences.
This lineup too disolved and Adam Miller relocated Chromatics to Portland, teaming up with Glass Candy’s Johnny Jewel, Ruth Radelet on lead vocals, and Nat Walker on percussion and saxophone. The new lineup of Chromatics has a more lo-fi electronic sound as opposed to the earlier dub and no-wave sounds. |
