The Story
Fleet Foxes formed in Seattle around Robin Pecknold, building a sound out of stacked, chorale-style vocal harmonies often traced to Pecknold's love of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. Their self-titled 2008 debut introduced that sound fully formed, with drummer Josh Tillman — later known as Father John Misty — playing on 2011's Helplessness Blues before leaving to pursue his own project.
The band went quiet for roughly six years after Helplessness Blues before returning with Crack-Up (2017), a more restless, structurally complex record.
Shore arrived without warning on September 22, 2020, released at 13:31 UTC — the exact minute of the autumnal equinox — after Pecknold had spent the pandemic recording in upstate New York and the Hudson Valley.
Both Helplessness Blues (2012) and Shore (2022) earned Grammy nominations for Best Folk Album and Best Alternative Music Album respectively.
