Living Things are brothers Lillian Berlin (vocals, guitar), Eve Berlin (bass) and Bosh Berlin (drums). The three have moved around over the years but have lived longest in St. Louis, Mo.

Living Things will release their debut recording, Black Skies in Broad Daylight, on August 24, 2004 on Geffen Records. The disc was recorded with Steve Albini, who recorded three of Living Things' favorite albums: Nirvana's In Utero, The Breeders' Pod and PJ Harvey's Rid Of Me.

Says Lillian of the band's origins: "It just felt natural for me to play guitar and sing and put one of my brothers on bass and the other on drums so we'd have a band." The trio has been writing songs and recording and performing in some capacity as long as they can remember. They made their public debut when Lillian was 12, Eve was nine and Bosh was six.

Lillian is the band's lyricist. He says of his earliest forays into songwriting: "I had trouble learning how to read. The only way I could remember sentences was to sing them. I'd make up little songs so when I went to school to take a test I'd know the answers - I'd recite them in my head like a song."

Lillian describes Living Things' music as "anxious and ill-at-ease," saying their songs release "a lot of pent-up emotions." He offers this insight into his thematic preoccupations: "We are taught what to think instead of how to think. We're not told the truth; we're programmed to believe what someone else says is true. I write about the distorted view of America we have. We're told so many lies, with nothing to back them up. The powers that be try to keep everyone in fear so no one will challenge their agenda. I think it's time people stop being so naïve about what they're hearing on CNN and MSNBC. The basis of our band is to say, "Wake the fuck up and start asking questions. Don't keep your mouth shut."

Living Things have played throughout the St. Louis area, as well as in Columbia, Mo., Chicago, New York, Nashville and Los Angeles. The band was signed by DreamWorks A&R exec Beth Halper.

Living Things view their shows as communal gatherings. "We're called Living Things because we are all living things - we're us, but we're also you; we're everybody," Lillian posits. "When we play a show, it's not like we're this big band and we're onstage and you're not; we're all onstage."