The Shins are an American indie rock band that was formed in 1996 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The band is the brainchild of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has been the only continuous member throughout the band’s multiple lineup changes. The current lineup of the band is Mercer, Yuuki Matthews (bass, keyboards), Mark Watrous (guitar, keyboards, lap steel), Patti King (keyboards), and Jon Sortland. (drums). They are headquartered in Portland, Oregon.
Mercer established the band as a side project to Flake Music, which was active from 1992 until 1999. When the Shins signed to Sub Pop Records, Flake Music had issued two 7-inch singles and a full-length album, When You Land Here It’s Time to Return, on Omnibus Records and were touring with Modest Mouse. The Shins’ first two albums, Oh, Inverted World (2001) and Chutes Too Narrow (2003), did well financially and critically. When the song “New Slang” was included in the 2004 film Garden State, it launched the band into the mainstream. As a result, the band’s third album, Wincing the Night Away (2007), was a huge success, ranking at number two on the Billboard 200 and garnering a Grammy nomination.
