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Together with American Songwriter, we had the pleasure of interviewing Iglu & Hartly over Zoom video!
Iglu & Hartly was formed in the foothills of Colorado by college friends Jarvis Anderson (lead vocals, production), Sam Martin (vocals, keyboards), and Simon Katz (guitar). After dropping out and moving to Los Angeles, California, Luis Rosiles flew from Jarvis’ hometown of Chicago to join the band as their drummer, and LA local Michael Bucher joined as bassist. The band paid its dues in the glitter and grime of seedy Hollywood nightclubs before being adopted by Hermosa Beach, a Los Angeles sea-side community with a strong punk rock heritage, who identified with their synth heavy, sweaty and wildly packed shows. The love the band felt from this city served as inspiration for the song “In This City” which became a worldwide hit in 2008.
Finally embraced by thousands of worldwide fans after the successful launch of their debut record “& then Boom” in 2008, the group signed first to Jodie Cammidge’s indie label called “Another Music Another Kitchen” and then to Mercury Records in the UK. As the single grew massively, the synth-pop group rose up the UK pop charts (#5) and US alternative charts. The band toured the UK and Europe at a non-stop pace which resulted in strain on the group’s interpersonal relationships and by 2010 the band was dropped by the label, and the members went their separate ways. Iglu & Hartly lay dormant in an extended hiatus for 10 years thereafter.
Spearheaded by singer Jarvis Anderson, the group reunited to headline the Hermosa Beach Summer Series festival in August of 2019. Anderson says, “As we closed out our set, and the sun was setting over the water, it just felt like the universe handed us a massive 2nd chance to continue the Iglu & Hartly story”. Indeed, those new flames of creativity led to a body of work that is to be released starting with the first single “Cooler”; a song fittingly about mounting a comeback.
“Cooler is told from the perspective of a guy that is set on winning over a girl who rejected him in the past. I love how the throwback synths and guitars rise as his story gathers fun, frenetic momentum”, Jarvis Anderson said. The result is an absurdly epic and feel-good song that seems serendipitous to the band’s actual comeback. The single somehow finds a way of being equal parts soothing and exciting; healing and rambunctious. Those who are fans of their debut Hit “In This City” will find “Cooler” just as irresistible, with its veracious hooks, and genre bending, disruptive appeal.
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