Rilo Kiley

Rilo Kiley is an indie rock and indie pop group from Los Angeles, United States. It forms in 1998 and is made up of Jenny Lewis, Blake Sennett, Pierre de Reeder and Jason Boesel. The group also includes Mike Bloom among its members.

Formation and line-up

Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett both work as vocalists and guitarists, Pierre de Reeder plays bass and keyboards, and Jason Boesel plays drums. Lewis and Sennett are former child actors, and Tara Subkoff, a mutual friend, introduces them to each other in 1993. The band’s original drummer, Dave Rock, leaves in 2001 and Boesel takes his place.

Recordings and label history

The band begins recording for Barsuk Records and releases its first album, Take Offs And Landings, in 2001. Its second album, The Execution of All Things, follows in 2002 on the Omaha label Saddle Creek. For the third album, More Adventurous, released in 2004, the group moves to Brute/Beaute, a Warner Bros. imprint. The fourth album, Under the Blacklight, appears in 2007 and has a more pop-influenced sound.

Recognition and related work

More Adventurous brings the band wider attention in 2004. It spends late 2004 high on Billboard Magazine’s Heatseekers Chart, and the group appears on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live. Rilo Kiley also opens for Bright Eyes on the international leg of Conor Oberst’s tour for i'm wide awake, it's morning, and later supports Coldplay on the North American dates of the Twisted Logic Tour in 2005.

Outside the band, Sennett and Boesel release an album with their group The Elected in 2004. Lewis sings backing vocals on The Postal Service, Ben Gibbard’s indie electronic side project, and tours with them before joining Rilo Kiley’s own tours that year. She also releases a solo album in 2006 as Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins. That release is Rabbit Fur Coat, co-produced by Clifford M Ward and Mike Mogis. The Elected release their second album, sun, sun, sun, on the same day.

Break-up and later release

The band breaks up in 2011 after reported disagreements among members. A collection of b-sides, remixes and rarities titled rkives is released in 2013.