Chromatics

Chromatics are a Portland, United States-based group active from 2001 to 2021. They are known as an indie electro-pop act with roots in electronic music, synth-pop, dream pop, post-punk and experimental sounds.

Line-up

Their best-known lineup consists of Ruth Radelet on vocals, guitar and synthesizer, Adam Miller on guitar, Johnny Jewel on synthesizer and production, and Nat Walker on drums and synthesizer. Earlier in the group’s history, the project forms in Seattle in 2002 as a quartet with Miller, drummer Hannah Blilie, guitarist Devin Welch and bassist Michelle Nolan. That first lineup releases a Calvin Johnson-produced 7-inch on Gold Standard Laboratories, issued as a split with Die Monitr Batss, and follows it with the Chrome Rats vs Basement Ruts album on the same label.

Sound and development

Chromatics begin with a post-punk and dub-influenced approach, then move towards a lo-fi electronic style after Miller relocates the project to Portland and works with Johnny Jewel and Ruth Radelet. Around 2006, the band shifts further towards 1980s synth-pop and Italo disco influences. Their later recordings are associated with dream pop and synth-pop.

Albums and releases

The band’s most widely noted albums are Night Drive and Kill for Love. Their final album is Closer to Grey, released in 2019, followed by the companion album Faded Now in 2020. A planned album, Dear Tommy, is later scrapped and does not appear in the group’s discography as a completed release.

Breakup

In August 2021, Radelet, Miller and Walker announce that Chromatics are breaking up, and the band’s label and Johnny Jewel’s representative also confirm the split.