Owls

Owls is a UK rock band and one of several groups using the name. The group is associated with the Chicago indie and emo scene and forms around Tim Kinsella, Mike Kinsella, Victor Villarreal and Sam Zurick. The musicians first come together as teenagers in Cap'n Jazz, then later record and perform as Owls.

History and membership

The band follows Cap'n Jazz with a self-titled debut album. After that release, the four members remain involved in other projects, including Owen, Joan of Arc, Make Believe and Ghosts and Vodka. Their shared history includes two earlier break-ups, and the group later returns to the idea of working together after the 2010 Cap'n Jazz reunion tour.

After the reunion tour, plans for another set of Cap'n Jazz shows develop into work on a second Owls album instead. Sam Zurick moves back to Chicago in February 2012, and the new material takes shape only after a series of false starts. The follow-up album is completed much more slowly than the first, reflecting the members' separate commitments and long-running personal and musical ties.

Style and releases

Owls is associated with math rock, emo, indie and indie rock. Its records bring together the distinctive playing styles of the four musicians, with the first album completed in five days and the second emerging from a more drawn-out writing process. The band name also appears elsewhere in music, but this group is the one linked to Tim Kinsella, Mike Kinsella, Victor Villarreal and Sam Zurick.