Offa Rex

Comprising resonant and impassioned vocals, flawlessly executed guitar work, and organ, Offa Rex are a psychedelic folk-rock collective made up of English singer/songwriter Olivia Chaney and Portland-based indie rock outfit the Decemberists. After Chaney opened for the Decemberists on a U.S. tour, the headliner's Colin Meloy asked Chaney if she'd ever entertained the idea of performing songs with a backing band. Chaney liked the idea, and Meloy's long-lived fantasy of starting a '60s-styled psychedelic folk band led to the birth of Offa Rex. The band’s debut full-length, The Queen of Hearts, arrived in 2017. Produced at Meloy's home studio, the record displayed an eclectic and varied sound palette that paid homage to various aspects of '60s folk-rock and psychedelia. ~ Rob Wacey