2009: Sleigh Bells EP From the beginning, Miller and Krauss set high expectations for themselves, with the goal to make a living off of their music. [5] Krauss noted that when the two began recording together for the first time, Miller wanted to be in control. Sleigh Bells wasted no time after getting off the ground in 2009, releasing three blistering records in four years. Jessica Rabbit Sleigh Bells. Buy Cassette $ 6.00 Album. Buy Gatefold LP $ 18.00 Album. Buy CD $ 11.00 Album. Sleigh Bells wasted no time after getting off the ground in 2009, releasing three blistering records in four years.

Sleigh Bells is an American noise rock musical duo based in Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2008. The duo consists of vocalist Alexis Krauss and guitarist Derek Edward Miller. After signing to N.E.E.T. Recordings and Mom + Pop Music, Sleigh Bells released their debut album, Treats, in May 2010. Their follow-up album, Reign of Terror, was released in February 2012. In October 2013, the band released their third album, Bitter Rivals while their fourth album, Jessica Rabbit, was released in November 2016.

• 1History
• 4Discography

History[edit]

Background and formation[edit]

The two members of Sleigh Bells—Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss—had previous experience performing and touring in a musical ensemble.^[1] From age 17 to 22, Miller was a guitarist in the hardcore punk band Poison the Well. He played on the band's first three albums, but left in 2004, citing creative differences with the other band members as a key factor for his departure.^[2] Krauss meanwhile has a background in theater and television. As a child she appeared in a Nickelodeon Magazine commercial, and starred in a community production of the musical Annie.^[3] From age 12 to 16, Krauss performed in the teen pop group RubyBlue.^[1] After RubyBlue broke up, Krauss went to college (majoring in political science), taught Spanish at an elementary school in The Bronx, and performed at weddings on the side for fun.^[2]

In March 2008, Miller moved to New York City expressly to find a female vocalist for some song demos he was working on. 'I'm just obsessed with female vocalists. I don't want to say I was really determined, but I was really determined' said Miller.^[1] He began working at a Brazilian bistro in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and in July, Krauss and her mother dined at the restaurant. Miller expressed his interest in finding a female vocalist for his new project and Krauss was volunteered by her mother. The two met in a park, where she listened to Miller's demos.^[2] In a 2012 interview, Krauss recalled her first impressions, saying: 'Derek's music sounded like a really interesting challenge, but I wasn't thinking he was somebody I wanted to develop a creative relationship with.'^[2] Krauss was pursuing a Rhodes Scholarship at the time, but decided to pair up with Miller instead.^[1] The band name Sleigh Bells comes from the phrase Miller used to delineate CD-Rs with demos he had worked on.^[4]

2009: Sleigh Bells EP[edit]

From the beginning, Miller and Krauss set high expectations for themselves, with the goal to make a living off of their music.^[5] Krauss noted that when the two began recording together for the first time, Miller wanted to be in control. 'It was like a really interesting session gig for me...I always knew it was Derek's thing — he was producing and writing the songs. He had very specific ideas about what the vocals should be like.'^[2]

The duo performed at the CMJ Music Marathon in October 2009.^[6] They signed to M.I.A.'s N.E.E.T. Recordings and Mom + Pop Music in March 2010.^[7] The two quickly got in the studio and recorded a seven-track self-titled EP. Their EP soon gained attention from The Guardian, The New York Times, Pitchfork, ABC News's Amplified, and other sources. Stereogum named them a Band to Watch on October 22, 2009.^[8]The Guardian named them Band of the Day in December 2009.^[9] Their song 'Crown on the Ground' was named the 57th best track of 2009 by Pitchfork.^[10] Miller produced the track 'Meds and Feds' with M.I.A. from the album Maya towards the end of 2009, and began recording Treats with Krauss in 2010. All but one of the tracks from Sleigh Bells EP have been subsequently included on studio albums. Songs 'Rill Rill', 'Crown on the Ground', 'Beach Girls' (later renamed 'Kids'), 'Infinity Guitars', and 'A/B Machines' were released on 2010s Treats. The final track on the extended play, '2HELLWU', was eventually reworked into the Bitter Rivals track 'To Hell with You', released in October 2013.

2010–2011: Treats[edit]

Sleigh Bells Ep 2009 Zip Code

The group released 'Tell 'Em', the first single from their debut album, Treats, as a free download in April 2010.^[11]Treats was released in May 2010 by Mom + Pop Music.^[12] They performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2010 and 2011,^[13] the Primavera Sound Festival in May 2010,^[14] and the Pitchfork Music Festival in July 2010.

Sleigh Bells Ep

2011–2012: Reign of Terror[edit]

Sleigh Bells began tracking songs for their second studio album in June 2011. Describing the sound of the new album, Krauss said, 'It sounds really huge, so there's going to still be tons of volume.'^[15]

On December 2, 2011, the band's website began to link to a Vimeo video.^[16] It served as a teaser trailer for the upcoming album, revealing the title to be Reign of Terror. There was no release date or any other information attached to the trailer. The trailer features scenes of Krauss sitting at a vanity mirror, grooming herself, interspersed with various backstage and live concert footage, as well as footage depicting the band's touring. For the duration of the video, a riff plays in the background and serves as the only sound. This was later featured in 'Rainmaker' on Kid Krushchev.

On December 7, 2011, the band announced via press release both the date of the album's release and the track listing. The band's publicist said of the upcoming release, '[The album features] songs that are as crushing and authoritative as their title suggests; they're effortlessly robust and heavier than any of the band's previous output ... the sonic equivalent of a beautiful shotgun to the head.'^[17] The album's promotional single, 'Born to Lose', was released on December 15, 2011. In an interview with webzine Coup de Main, Krauss was quoted as saying that Reign of Terror is 'a much more personal record'.^[18]

The album was originally set to be released on February 14, 2012, but was pushed back to February 21.^[19] Along with the announcement of the release date and track listing, Sleigh Bells also announced a tour of strictly Floridian venues.^[20] This tour preceded the release of the album.

Sleigh Bells made their network television debut on the February 18, 2012 episode of Saturday Night Live, performing the songs 'Comeback Kid' and 'End of the Line'.^[21] On August 16, 2012, the duo announced a US tour, which kicked off at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle on August 28 and concluded at First Avenue in Minneapolis on November 2, including dates with Swedish hardcore punk band Refused and American DJ AraabMuzik.^[22]

2013–2014: Bitter Rivals[edit]

Only a few months after the release of Reign of Terror, Sleigh Bells began writing a third studio album for a possible 2013 release.^[23][24] Before the end of 2012, the album was said to feature more writing from Krauss and with a cleaner sound.^[25] The album, titled Bitter Rivals, was released on October 8, 2013, through Mom + Pop Music. The album was partially inspired by the music of Janet Jackson.^[26][27] According to Krauss, several tracks would feature dynamic acoustic riffs and R&B-ish vocals. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Krauss clarified the new style of the album, saying, 'I was interested in doing something Beyoncé or Janet Jackson would do, these slow-winding, sparkling melodies.'^[28] A music video directed by Sleigh Bells for the album's title track, 'Bitter Rivals', was released in September 2013. The band toured North America in October and November 2013 in support of Bitter Rivals with Doldrums and Danny Brown as support.^[29]

2015–present: Jessica Rabbit and Kid Kruschev[edit]

On December 7, 2015, Sleigh Bells premiered a new song titled 'Champions of Unrestricted Beauty', while announcing they were finishing up their fourth studio album.^[30] The duo released the single 'Rule Number One' on June 7, 2016,^[31] followed by 'Hyper Dark' on July 19.^[32] On August 24, Sleigh Bells announced both the release date and track listing of their upcoming fourth studio album, Jessica Rabbit.^[33] The album was released on November 11, 2016, marking the first release on the duo's own label, Torn Clean, in partnership with Sinderlyn.^[34]

It was announced on October 10, 2017, that the duo would release a mini-album titled Kid Kruschev on November 10, 2017. On the same day, the lead single 'And Saints' was released.^[35] 'Rainmaker' was released as the second single on October 24.^[36]

Musical style[edit]

The band's music has been known for its juxtaposition of simple pop hooks with loud, rhythmic noise, electronic beats, harsh guitar riffs and dreamy vocals, which has been described mainly as noise pop.^{[37][38][39][40][41][42][43]} The band's music also has been described as noise rock,^[41]indie rock,^[43]dance-punk,^[44]electropunk,^[45]digital hardcore,^[46]experimental pop,^[37]alternative rock,^[47] and industrial rock.^[48] While their debut album, Treats, was noted for its punk and heavy metal guitars, glam metal influences and mid-tempo beats from hip hop and electro, their second album, Reign of Terror, was also described as a mixture of 'heavy metal shredding with R&B vocals'.^[49][50][51]

Members[edit]

• Alexis Krauss – vocals (2008–present)
• Derek E. Miller – guitar, production, lyrics^[52](2008–present)

Touring members

• Ryan Primack (Poison the Well) – guitar (2013)^[53]
• Chris Maggio (Trap Them) – drums (2013)^[53]
• Jason Boyer – guitar (2012–2013)^[54]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Extended plays[edit]

Singles[edit]

Sleigh Bells Ep 2009 Zips

Music videos[edit]

Sleigh Bells Ep 2009 Ziploc

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcdRyzik, Melena (February 14, 2012). 'Enjoying the Sweet Pains of Success'. The New York Times. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
2. ^ ^abcdeMarchese, David (March – April 2012). 'Bringin' on the Heartbreak'. Spin. Vol. 28 no. 2. pp. 54–61, 108. ISSN0886-3032. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
3. ^Dombal, Ryan (July 12, 2010). 'Interviews: Sleigh Bells'. Pitchfork. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
4. ^Chisholm, Alexander (January 7, 2013). 'Sleigh Bells – Big Day Out 2013 Interviews'. Music Feeds. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
5. ^'Five Questions with Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells'. Chart Attack. March 27, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
6. ^Dombal, Ryan (October 24, 2009). 'CMJ: Friday [The xx, Sleigh Bells]'. Pitchfork. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
7. ^Wilhelm, Alex (March 16, 2010). 'Sleigh Bells sign to N.E.E.T. and Mom + Pop'. Crazed Hits. Archived from the original on December 29, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
8. ^Singh, Amrit (October 22, 2009). 'Band To Watch: Sleigh Bells'. Stereogum. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
9. ^Lester, Paul (December 1, 2009). 'New band of the day – No 680: Sleigh Bells'. The Guardian. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
10. ^'The Top 100 Tracks of 2009'. Pitchfork. December 14, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
11. ^Saba, Michael (April 29, 2010). 'Listen to Sleigh Bells' First Single 'Tell 'Em''. Paste. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
12. ^'Sleigh Bells reveal debut album's tracklist'. Fact. April 29, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
13. ^Martens, Todd (March 31, 2010). 'Coachella, beyond the main stage: Sleigh Bells can ring a racket'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
14. ^'Ola's Kool Kitchen Sleigh Bells live set Primavera 2010'. Internet Archive. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
15. ^Helton, Eric; Murphy, Matthew (May 13, 2011). 'Sleigh Bells: Reveal details of their next album'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
16. ^'Sleigh Bells – Reign of Terror'. Reignofterror.tv. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
17. ^Montgomery, James (December 8, 2011). 'Sleigh Bells' Reign Of Terror Drops On Valentine's Day'. MTV News. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
18. ^Graves, Shahlin (February 24, 2012). 'Interview: Sleigh Bells' Alexis Krauss on 'Reign Of Terror''. Coup De Main. Archived from the original on February 18, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
19. ^Pelly, Jenn (January 3, 2012). 'New Sleigh Bells Album Pushed Back'. Pitchfork. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
20. ^Corban (December 7, 2011). 'Sleigh Bells Announce Tour, Reign Of Terror Tracklist'. Stereogum. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
21. ^'Sleigh Bells Perform 'Comeback Kid' on 'SNL''. Rolling Stone. February 19, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
22. ^Cosores, Philip (August 16, 2012). 'Sleigh Bells Announces Fall Tour'. Paste. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
23. ^Carlick, Stephen (April 11, 2012). 'Alexis Krauss Speaks Up About Sleigh Bells' Longevity and Their Third Album'. Exclaim!. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
24. ^Vozick-Levinson, Simon (May 4, 2012). 'Sleigh Bells Bring the Noise on Spring Tour'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
25. ^Hogan, Marc (November 1, 2012). 'Sleigh Bells Plan Cleaner, More Melodic Album for 2013'. Spin. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
26. ^Rudow, Bryce T. (November 19, 2013). 'BYT Interviews: Sleigh Bells'. Brightest Young Things. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
27. ^Woods, Mickey (October 8, 2013). 'Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells Chats With Glamour About New Album Bitter Rivals and Her Pop-Culture Obsessions'. Glamour. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
28. ^Vozick-Levinson, Simon (September 12, 2013). 'Inside Sleigh Bells' Lean, Mean New Album'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
29. ^ ^abBattan, Carrie; Minsker, Evan; Phillips, Amy (September 2, 2013). 'Sleigh Bells Announce New Album 'Bitter Rivals,' Share Title Track, Plot Tour'. Pitchfork. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
30. ^Carley, Brennan (December 7, 2015). 'Hear Sleigh Bells' Sleek New Single, 'Champions of Unrestricted Beauty''. Spin. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
31. ^Minsker, Evan; Monroe, Jazz (June 7, 2016). 'Listen to Sleigh Bells' New Track 'Rule Number One''. Pitchfork. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
32. ^Minsker, Evan (July 19, 2016). 'Sleigh Bells Share New Song 'Hyper Dark,' Announce Tour'. Pitchfork. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
33. ^Strauss, Matthew (August 24, 2016). 'Sleigh Bells Announce First New Album in Three Years, Jessica Rabbit'. Pitchfork. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
34. ^Guilbault, Kristy (August 30, 2016). 'Sleigh Bells Detail Jessica Rabbit, Share New Track 'It's Just Us Now''. Paste. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
35. ^ ^abCook-Wilson, Winston (October 10, 2017). 'Sleigh Bells Announce New Mini-Album Kid Kruschev, Release 'And Saints''. Spin. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
36. ^ ^abCook-Wilson, Winston (October 24, 2017). 'Sleigh Bells – 'Rainmaker''. Spin. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
37. ^ ^abLeahey, Andrew. 'Sleigh Bells'. AllMusic. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
38. ^'My Favorite Things: Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells'. Spin. March 30, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
39. ^Wright, Matthew (March 26, 2012). 'Q&A: Sleigh Bells' Alexis Krauss on 'noise pop' and David Lynch'. National Post. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
40. ^'Sleigh Bells prep new album for 2013 release'. Fact. November 1, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
41. ^ ^abSchwaller, Zachary (October 30, 2012). 'Sleigh Bells bring noise pop jingles to Madison'. The Badger Herald. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
42. ^'Live In NYC | Sleigh Bells'. MTV. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
43. ^ ^abMichaels, Sean (January 26, 2011). 'Beyoncé chimes with Sleigh Bells on new track'. The Guardian. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
44. ^Weiss, Sam (August 16, 2012). 'Sleigh Bells & AraabMuzik Announce Joint Tour'. Complex. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
45. ^Lewis, Luke (May 13, 2010). '10 Tracks You Have To Hear This Week – Sleigh Bells, Beyonce, Everything Everything'. NME. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
46. ^Chen, Roselle (April 5, 2012). 'Sleigh Bells – Fox Theater Pomona – 4/4/12 (With Photos)'. LA Weekly. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
47. ^'Wake N' Watch: Sleigh Bells 'Infinity Guitars' Music Video'. Complex. October 1, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
48. ^Agnese, Lydia (December 8, 2011). 'Sleigh Bells teaser for new album, Reign of Terror'. Heavy.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
49. ^Richardson, fvMark (May 14, 2010). 'Sleigh Bells; Treats'. Pitchfork. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
50. ^Wragg, Stephen (February 27, 2012). 'Sleigh Bells: Reign of Terror'. No Ripcord. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
51. ^Nicholson, Rebecca (February 25, 2012). 'Sleigh Bells: we're drawn to inclusive things like pop. And pizza'. The Guardian. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
52. ^http://songexploder.net/sleigh-bells
53. ^ ^abJurgensen, John (October 3, 2013). 'Creating a Mosh Pit for 15-Year-Old Girls'. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
54. ^Murphy, Tom (April 12, 2012). 'Derek Miller of Sleigh Bells: 'I just wanted it to sound like a gang of ferocious women.''. Westword. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
55. ^'Sleigh Bells – Chart history: Billboard 200'. Billboard. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
56. ^Peak chart positions for albums in Australia:
    • Treats: 'ARIA Top 100 Albums – Week Commencing 5th July 2010'(PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association (1062): 6. July 5, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
    • Reign of Terror: 'Discography Sleigh Bells'. australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
57. ^Peak chart positions for albums in Canada:
    • Reign of Terror: 'Albums : Top 100'. Jam!. February 29, 2012. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
58. ^'Discography Sleigh Bells'. irish-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
59. ^Peak chart positions for albums in the United Kingdom:
    • Treats: Zywietz, Tobias. 'Chart Log UK – Weekly Updates Sales 2011'. Zobbel. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
    • Reign of Terror: 'Sleigh Bells'(select 'Albums' tab). Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
    • Bitter Rivals: Zywietz, Tobias. 'Chart Log UK – Weekly Updates Sales 2013'. Zobbel. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
60. ^ ^abUgwu, Reggie (September 28, 2013). 'Teams of 'Rivals''(PDF). American Radio History (Billboard Archive). p. 39. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
61. ^'That Did It (feat. Tink) – Single by Sleigh Bells'. iTunes Store (US). Retrieved December 21, 2015.
62. ^'Rule Number One – Single by Sleigh Bells'. iTunes Store (US). Retrieved August 22, 2016.
63. ^'Hyper Dark – Single by Sleigh Bells'. iTunes Store (US). Retrieved August 22, 2016.
64. ^'I Can Only Stare (2016) | Sleigh Bells'. 7digital (US). Retrieved October 24, 2017.
65. ^Gottlieb, Steven (September 21, 2010). 'WATCH IT: Sleigh Bells 'Infinity Guitars' (Phil Pinto, dir.)'. VideoStatic. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
66. ^Schnipper, Matthew (November 12, 2010). 'Video: Sleigh Bells, 'Riot Rhythm''. The Fader. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
67. ^Fitzmaurice, Larry (January 27, 2011). 'Video: Sleigh Bells: 'Rill Rill''. Pitchfork. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
68. ^Phillips, Amy (January 24, 2012). 'Video: Sleigh Bells: 'Comeback Kid''. Pitchfork. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
69. ^Hogan, Marc (May 22, 2012). 'Sleigh Bells Unleash Explosive Diplo Remix, 'Demons' Video'. Spin. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
70. ^Minsker, Evan (August 27, 2012). 'Video: Sleigh Bells: 'End of the Line''. Pitchfork. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
71. ^Goble, Corban (November 25, 2014). 'Sleigh Bells and Tink Share 'That Did It' Video'. Pitchfork. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
72. ^Strauss, Matthew (August 30, 2016). 'Sleigh Bells Share Video for New Track 'It's Just Us Now': Watch'. Pitchfork. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
73. ^Yoo, Noah (October 26, 2016). 'Sleigh Bells Share New Video for 'I Can Only Stare': Watch'. Pitchfork. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
74. ^'And Saints – Sleigh Bells'. Vevo. November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
75. ^Freiman, Jordan (January 23, 2018). 'Video: Sleigh Bells – 'Favorite Transgressions''. Spin. Retrieved January 28, 2018.

External links[edit]

• Sleigh Bells at AllMusic
• Interview with Derek and Alexis at BEAT