Ours

Jimmy Gnecco - Vocals, guitar
Dave Milone - Guitar
Race - Bass
Anthony DeMarco - Keyboards
Ethan Johns - Drums, production

Taken from the official site:
For the members of Ours, New York was a vision across the Hudson from their homes in New Jersey. They started playing together in high school, working out original songs, ditching classes to catch shows in the city, reaching for opportunities that always seemed just beyond reach.

"We knew we’d have a much better time in our little rehearsal room than we would playing in Jersey, where everyone just wanted to hear covers of heavy metal bands," Gnecco explains. "We wouldn’t play those gigs, so we ended up not being able to get any gigs."

For a while they broke up. Gnecco picked up odd jobs while reassessing his work. But in 1996 the group reformed. The energy had changed. By virtue of his unsparing self-critique, Gnecco’s writing had grown more perceptive, less preoccupied with hopelessness.

"There was too much self-pity in my older songs," he says. "I’ve always been a huge fan of Morrissey and The Cure, and while they seemed really miserable, there was also something uplifting about what they did.

"Eventually, I began to write these epic songs that were more about feeling, with a lot of sonic elements. I’d always write two guitar parts that played against each other to build tension, with the drums pounding on toms to create a circular, tribal feeling. Sometimes it’s more important to me to make a sound than to write a pop song."

Asked if this is an aesthetic direction the band intends to explore further, Gnecco says: "We’ve never had a specific plan. It’s always been in the moment for us. The next record may be acoustic guitar, cellos and violins. Whatever we do, though, it will be based on honesty and emotions."