This Is Radio Silence

THIS IS RADIO SILENCE was formed in 2006, initially as the solo project of former Earth Loop Recall frontman/SonVer guitarist Ben McLees. TIRS's music is generally described as 'electronic rock', though they also lean heavily on a broad range of influences, including dub, psychedelia, industrial, electro, alt-rock, post-punk, experimental, new wave, ambient and IDM. TIRS were active sporadically between 2010 and 2015, releasing two albums ('Now There's Nothing' in 2010 and 'Soon, Much Of This Will Have Been Destroyed' in 2012) and the critically acclaimed 'The Crux' EP in 2014. Live performances were rare during this period, with a changing line-up which featured various members until TIRS settled on a 5-piece of Ben McLees (Vocals, Guitar), Hunter Barr (Keyboards), Geoff Courts (Bass Guitar), Austin Davey (Guitar) & Dan Vickers (Drums) in 2014. Following a run of live dates throughout 2015, TIRS entered a four-year hiatus, with the planned single 'Disappointed' shelved at the start of 2016. The hiatus was finally broken by the release of the 'Fallen Men' EP in 2019 with accompanying live shows by the reformed line-up. The 'There Is No Time' EP followed six months later - although this unfortunately coincided with the start of the Covid pandemic, meaning planned live shows in support of the EPs were indefinitely postponed. However, further singles followed during the ongoing pandemic, including a new version & remix of 2012's 'Two For Joy' (originally released on the 'Soon...' album) and the previously unreleased 'The Yellow House'. In 2021, Ben McLees & Hunter Barr recorded a live session of TIRS remixes & Oblivion Guest tracks in the form of 'The Rhoom Studio Sessions', released on Retina II Records. This release would signal the start of a new phase of TIRS, showcasing a more stripped-down, electro-orientated sound than previous iterations of the group. TIRS officially reconvened in 2022 with a new trio line-up of McLees/Barr/Davey, performing a string of live shows with featured both TIRS and Oblivion Guest tracks. In March 2023, TIRS released a self-titled double album, which compiled the EP & single releases 2019-2021 alongside a selection of previously unreleased tracks - including the 'lost' single 'Disappointed', which was finally released as a single in advance of the album. Described by Compulsiononline as TIRS's 'definitive statement', the 24-track double CD version of the album was followed by a revised 18-track version for streaming services in July 2023. In August, Geoff Courts returned to the live line-up of TIRS, replacing Austin Davey as guitarist. Work is already underway on new material for a 2024 release.