Chromatics were an American electronic music band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 2001. The band's final line-up consisted of Ruth Radelet (vocals, guitar, synthesizer), Adam Miller (guitar, vocoder), Nat Walker (drums, synthesizer), and Johnny Jewel (producer, multi-instrumentalist).
The band originally featured a trademark sound indebted to punk and lo-fi that was described as "noisy" and "chaotic". After numerous lineup changes, which left guitarist Adam Miller as the sole original member, the band began releasing material on the Italians Do It Better record label in 2007, with their style streamlined into an Italo disco-influenced sound.
Their third album Night Drive (2007) was met with critical acclaim, as was their fourth album, Kill for Love, which was released on March 26, 2012. Several of the band's songs have been featured in television series such as Bates Motel, Gossip Girl, Mr. Robot, The Mindy Project, Parenthood, Revenge, Riverdale, 13 Reasons Why, The 100, Baby, and Twin Peaks, as well as being featured in the films Drive (2011), Taken 2 (2012), Only You (2018), and The Perfection (2019).
In December 2014, the band announced what would have been their fifth studio album, titled Dear Tommy. While Chromatics have released a number of singles from it, Dear Tommy had yet to be released when they instead issued the album Closer to Grey in October 2019.
The band announced its break-up in August 2021.
Members:
Adam Miller - guitar, vocoder, vocals (2001-2021)
Ruth Radelet - vocals, guitar, synthesizer (2005-2021)
Nat Walker - drums, synthesizer (2005-2021)
Johnny Jewel - programming, production, synthesizer, guitar, drums, mixing, engineering (2005-2021)
Former members:
Devin Welch - guitar (2002-2003)
Michelle Nolan - bass guitar (2002-2003)
Hannah Blilie - drums (2002-2003)
Nat Sahlstrom - bass guitar (2003-2004)
Ron Avila - drums, percussion (2003-2004)
Lena Okazaki - bass guitar (2004)
From: Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Genre(s):
Synth-pop,
synth-rock,
indie rock,
dream pop,
no wave
Active From: 2001-2021