Cults (band)

Cults
Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion of Cults
Background information
Origin	Manhattan, New York, United States
Genres	Indie pop · indie rock · synthpop
Years active	2010–present
Labels	In the Name Of, Columbia
Website	cultscultscults.com
Members	Brian Oblivion Madeline Follin

Cults is an American indie band formed in New York City in 2010. The band first came to prominence when they posted a three song EP, Cults 7", on their Bandcamp page. They are signed to Sony and In the Name Of, a record label that was set up by British singer Lily Allen.

Cults formed in 2010 while guitarist Brian Oblivion and singer Madeline Follin were students in New York City. Oblivion went to NYU to study documentary cinema, Follin went to The New School. Madeline had previously recorded with punk band Youth Gone Mad on the album, Touching Cloth. Cults released an EP on Forrest Family Records, Cults 7", with the track "Go Outside" recorded by Paul Kostabi at Thunderdome Studios, named "Best New Music" by Pitchfork Media. They toured supporting the Richie Follin's Band with overlapping members for six months before signing to ITNO/SONY. Their song "Go Outside" had a video made for it which starred Emma Roberts and Dave Franco. Another video featured the band inter-cut with footage of Jim Jones and Jonestown.

Their self-titled debut album, Cults, was released on June 7, 2011, by Columbia Records imprint In the Name Of run by Lily Allen. The album received generally positive reviews, and a second "Best New Music" from Pitchfork was earned for the track "Abducted".

In 2011 Cults collaborated with the group Superhuman Happiness on a version of the track "Um Canto De Afoxé para o Bloco Do Ilê" for the Red Hot Organisation's most recent charity album Red Hot+Rio 2. The album is a follow-up to the 1996 Red Hot + Rio. Proceeds from sales will be donated to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues. The band was chosen to perform at the ATP I'll Be Your Mirror festival curated by ATP & Portishead in September 2011 in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and also by Battles to perform at the ATP Nightmare Before Christmas festival that they co-curate in December 2011 in Minehead, England.