Cloakroom (band)

Last updated

Cloakroom
Cloakroom performing at Cabooze June 2015.jpg
Cloakroom at Cabooze in Minneapolis in June 2015
Background information
Origin Chesterton, Indiana, United States
Genres
Years active2012–present
Labels
Spinoff of Grown Ups
Members
  • Doyle Martin
  • Bobby Markos
  • Tim Remis
  • Cam Smith
Past membersBrian Busch
Website cloakroom.bandcamp.com

Cloakroom is an American rock band from Chesterton, Indiana. Formed in 2012, by members of various emo revival bands, they released their debut EP Infinity through Run for Cover Records in 2013. The label soon released the band's debut album Further Out (2015), which helped to broaden the emo revival's sonic landscape, by incorporating elements of shoegaze, grunge and slowcore. Their following two albums Time Well (2017) and Dissolution Wave (2022), were released through Relapse Records, and saw the band shift their sound closer to metal. Their fourth album Last Leg of the Human Table (2025) was released by Closed Casket Activities.

Contents

History

The band formed in summer 2012 in Chesterton, Indiana. Lead singer and guitarist Doyle Martin was previously in the bands Grown Ups and Lion of the North, and bassist Bobby Markos was in the band Native, and had met through performing on bills together. [1] Their name was intended as a double meaning, both the, being both a room where clothes are stored and political corruption. [2] The band signed to Run For Cover Records in 2013. [3] [4] The band released their first extended play, titled Infinity, in 2013 via Run For Cover. [5] In 2014, the band released a single "Lossed Over," also on Run For Cover. [6] [7]

On January 20, 2015, the band released their debut album, Further Out, via Run For Cover Records. [8] [9] [10] The album was produced by Matt Talbott of the band Hum. That year, they opened for Brand New after Jesse Lacey and his wife listened to Further Out. [11] In the fall of 2016, they announced a tour of the UK and EU in support of Russian Circles. [12] On June 20, 2017, the band announced that they would be releasing their second album, Time Well, via Relapse Records on August 18. [13] On February 1, 2018, the band announced a two-week European tour with the band Caspian. [14]

On November 30, 2021, the band announced that they would be releasing their third album, Dissolution Wave, via Relapse Records on January 28, 2022. Promotional materials for the album describe the album as "a space western in which an act of theoretical physics — the dissolution wave — wipes out all of humanity's existing art and abstract thought." [15] A music video was released for the song "A Force at Play". The album features a guest appearance from Hum frontman Matt Talbott.[ citation needed ] On October 28, 2024, it was announced that the band had signed with Closed Casket Activities, and concurrently released a new single, "Unbelonging," from their then-upcoming fourth album. [16] Last Leg of the Human Table was released on February 28, 2025. [17]

Musical style and legacy

Critics have categorised Cloakroom's music as shoegaze, [18] doomgaze, [19] [20] emo, [21] [22] post-hardcore [23] [22] and slowcore. [24] Early in their career, the band indentified as "stoner emo", [21] and briefly as "shroomgaze", in reference to psychoactive psilocybin mushroom. [10] They incorporate elements of grunge, [22] country music, [25] indie rock, post-rock and sludge metal. [26] Their early releases on Run for Cover Records were a heavy form of emo. Following their 2017 singing to Relapse Records, they persued a more metal-indebted direction. [27]

Cloakroom have cited influences including Mudhoney, Nirvana, Swervedriver, Hum, Failure, [28] Russian Circles, [29] Foo Fighters, [30] the Cure, Joy Division, [31] Jason Molina, Townes Van Zandt, Tom Petty, Boards of Canada, [32] Sweet Cobra, [33] Morrissey, the Beatles, Wire, Television, Codeine and Earth. [34]

Cloakroom were key player in broadening the sonic pallet of the emo revival movement. [35] [36] They have been cited as an influence by Greet Death. [37]

Members

Current members

Past members

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

References

  1. ↑ Bobby Markos (March 2025). Bobby Markos of Cloakroom Interview (Radio broadcast). WDSO. Event occurs at 3m. Retrieved February 14, 2015. We formed in the summer of 2012... we had met each other on the road through those bands and when his band was coming to an end, and he was starting up what would be Cloakroom... we were very much a Chesterton band.
  2. ↑ Bobby Markos (March 2025). Bobby Markos of Cloakroom Interview (Radio broadcast). WDSO. Event occurs at 4m. Retrieved February 14, 2015. Doyle brough [the band name] to the table... he liked that it was an antiquated term and then also in a political spectrum a cloakroom is considered a place where members of congress go to do floor dealings not on the floor
  3. ↑ Bird, Michele (January 16, 2013). "Cloakroom sign to Run For Cover Records, release new song". Alternative Press. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  4. ↑ Flynn, John. "Run for Cover Records signs Cloakroom". PunkNews. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  5. ↑ Catalano, Gina. "ATP! Album Review: Cloakroom - Infinity". Alter The Press. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  6. ↑ DeVille, Chris (November 3, 2014). "Cloakroom – "Dream Warden" (Feat. Matt Talbott Of Hum)". Stereogum. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  7. ↑ Cohen, Ian. "Cloakroom "Dream Warden"". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  8. ↑ Daunt, Lesley. "Cloakroom's 'Further Out' LP set for January 20 release". AXS. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  9. ↑ Anthony, David (January 7, 2015). "Cloakroom make the most of dissimilar parts on "Asymmetrical"". A.V. Club. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  10. 1 2 Rettig, James (January 13, 2015). "Stream Cloakroom Further Out". Stereogum. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Cloakroom 'Time Well' Stream & Interview". Stereogum. August 17, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  12. ↑ Minic, Ryan (November 18, 2016). "RUSSIAN CIRCLES & CLOAKROOM to Tour Europe" . Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  13. ↑ "CLOAKROOM Announce New Album 'Time Well'; Share "Seedless Star" Video". Relapse Records. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Caspian Announce European/UK Tour With Cloakroom". Theprp.com. February 1, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  15. ↑ Deville, Chris (November 30, 2021). "Cloakroom – "A Force At Play"". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Cloakroom sign to Closed Casket Activities for new album, share "Unbelonging"". BrooklynVegan.com. October 28, 2024. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  17. ↑ https://www.stereogum.com/2298561/cloakroom-last-leg-of-the-human-table/interviews/under-the-influence/
  18. ↑ Breihan, Tom (January 8, 2015). "Cloakroom – "Asymmetrical"". Stereogum. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  19. ↑ Hyden, Steven (August 17, 2017). "Cloakroom's Dark, Doom-Laden Rock Hits A New Peak With 'Time Well'". UPROXX. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  20. ↑ Camp, Zoe. "See Doomgaze Outfit Cloakroom's Haunting New "Seedless Star" Video". Revolver . Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  21. 1 2 Cohen, Ian (October 1, 2013). "Your New Favorite Emo Bands: The Best of Topshelf Records' 2013 Sampler". Pitchfork . Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  22. 1 2 3 "Cloakroom - Infinity [EP]". www.punknews.org. August 7, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  23. ↑ Breihan, Tom (November 2, 2016). "Cloakroom – "Big World"". Stereogum. Retrieved March 19, 2015. Last year, the fuzzy and depressive Indiana post-hardcore power trio Cloakroom impressed us with their Further Out album.
  24. ↑ Cimarusti, Luca (August 24, 2017). "On Time Well, northwest Indiana slowcore band Cloakroom blast off into outer space". Chicago Reader . Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  25. ↑ Jones, Jamie. "(((O))) REVIEW: CLOAKROOM – TIME WELL" . Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  26. ↑ TERICH, JEFF (November 21, 2022). "WFA: Cloakroom". Everything Is Noise. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Stream Cloakroom's Time Well Early & Read Our Q&A With Frontman Doyle Martin". Stereogum . August 17, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  28. ↑ Midnight, Chip. "Interview: Bobby Markos (Cloakroom)". The Big Takeover. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  29. ↑ Hranica, Mike (October 31, 2016). "Cloakroom Unveil 'Natural Unnatural' Approach to Shoegaze". CLRVYNT. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  30. ↑ Atencio, Isaac Atencio (January 23, 2015). "Interview With Bobby Markos of Cloakroom | BeardedGMusic". Bearded Gentlemen Music. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  31. ↑ Almeida, Rachel Grace (October 11, 2017). "Cloakroom on the Darkness That Inspires Their Moody, Doomy Shoegaze". Bandcamp Daily . Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  32. ↑ Martin, Scott (August 10, 2017). "Interview: Bobby Markos of CLOAKROOM". Antihero Magazine. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  33. ↑ Bobby Markos (March 2025). Bobby Markos of Cloakroom Interview (Radio broadcast). WDSO. Event occurs at 13m20s. Retrieved February 14, 2015. Tim's in a band from Chicago, Sweet Cobra, he's older than us and they were our heroes
  34. ↑ Sanders, Brad (February 28, 2025). "How The Beatles, I Think You Should Leave, And More Influenced Cloakroom's Awesome New Album Last Leg Of The Human Table". Stereogum . Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  35. ↑ "30 Best Emo Revival Albums, Ranked". Spin . June 14, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  36. ↑ Cohen, Ian; Gordon, Arielle (July 25, 2022). "The Most Important Emo Song of Every Year". The Ringer . Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  37. ↑ Harper Boyhtari (October 13, 2025). Harper Boyhtari from Greet Death. 100 Words or Less (Podcast). Event occurs at 13m. Retrieved January 10, 2026. The whole reason we're a band is because we saw bands like you know Cloakroom and Nothing and True Widow play... that's where we're cut from
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