The Moth & The Flame

A Los Angeles-based alt-rock band with a sleek modern tone and dynamic presence, the Moth & the Flame built a national presence on the heels of their 2013 Joey Waronker-produced EP, &, and subsequent major-label debut, 2016's Young & Unafraid. Major tours with acts like Imagine Dragons and the Naked & Famous also helped bolster their profile in advance of their 2018 follow-up album Ruthless. The Moth & the Flame formed in Provo, Utah in 2011 with singer/guitarist Brandon Robbins, keyboardist Mark Garbett, and drummer Andrew Tolman, previously the drummer for Imagine Dragons. The band released an eponymous debut late that year and began what would become extensive touring over the next few years, including South by Southwest and Sundance Film Festival Café appearances in 2013. Produced by drummer Joey Waronker (Atoms for Peace, Beck), an EP titled & arrived late in 2013 on Hidden Records, and an ongoing touring included opening spots for Imagine Dragons and Neon Trees. The band signed with Elektra Records in the fall of 2014 and officially added Michael Goldman to the line-up on bass. Produced by Peter Katis (the National, Jónsi), Tony Hoffer (Better Than Ezra, Belle and Sebastian), and Nate Pyfer (Fictionist, Parlor Hawk), and featuring string arrangements by Rob Moose (Renée Fleming, Alabama Shakes, the Decemberists), their second album, Young & Unafraid, was released in 2016. Following two years of touring and writing, the group reunited with Katis and Pyfer to record 2018's Ruthless, which arrived via the Thirty Tigers label. ~ Marcy Donelson