TTNG

Indie rockers TTNG formed in Oxford, England in 2004 when, poking fun at their city's low crime rate, they named their band This Town Needs Guns on a whim. Based around vocalist/guitarist Stuart Smith and lead guitarist Tim Collis, the rhythm section rotated several times over the next few years, with bassist Dan Adams and drummer Chris Collis in place by the time they recorded their 2008 debut, Animals. Bearing a resemblance to time-signature shifters like Chavez and Owls, the band was soon picked up by the label Sargent House, which gave the album a more high-profile release in 2009. Jamie Cooper then took over on bass, and in 2011, frontman Stuart Smith announced he would be leaving the band to focus on his family. He was replaced by Pennines singer/guitarist Henry Tremain. This Town Needs Guns continued to undergo personnel adjustments, and after years of having their band name misconstrued as literal sentiment, they changed their name to TTNG in 2013, just after the January release of their second album, 13.0.0.0.0.

TTNG saw much of the U.S. and Europe on multiple tours over the next couple of years, opening for bands such as American Football and Foxing. Still highlighted by intricate playing alongside Pavement-type vocals, the lineup of Tremain, Collis, and Collis headed to Chicago to record their third LP, Disappointment Island. It was released in 2016, again with Sargent House. In honor of the tenth anniversary of their debut, TTNG returned two years later with the newly recorded Animals Acoustic. ~ Jason Lymangrover & Marcy Donelson