Finlay was born in the summer of 1997 when three childhood friends (Adam, Anamik & Chris) inspired by the scratchy recordings of Eric's Trip, Silver Jews and Sonic Youth produced a cassette only album recorded on a broken 4-track recorder. Deciding that it would be quite funny to see how far they could take this band with minimal commitment and skill they gained two more members (Lorna and then Giles) and took the Finlay-show on the road, sharing the stage with many top-notch bands such as Death Cab for Cutie, Kings of Convenience, Kaito, British Sea Power and Tompaulin.
Records followed, culminating in the release of their debut album “I Dreams and Visions” on Fortuna POP! in late 2003, described variously as “a ragged and wonderful sliver of a debut” (Kerrang! KKKK), “a debut of clever, spiky lo-fi post rock” (Uncut) and “a skelter stitch together of heroic and inspired pop music… as brilliant as such casually sculpted sidewalking can get." (Careless Talk Costs Lives).
In 2006 Finlay will release their second album, “The Fall of Mary”. Again being put in the shops by cult indie label Fortuna POP!, the album was recorded at Soup Studios with Simon Trought (Jim Reid, Television Personalities, Comet Gain, The
Clientele). Perhaps more sonically cohesive than their debut, Finlay remain in thrall to their American alt-rock influences but this is a more ambitious effort as epitomised by the 9-minute epic “Mary IV” and the Quickspace-influenced “Phantasmagoria”, a song that perfectly encapsulates Finlay: catchy pop hooks weaving in and out of clashing waves of noise.Finlay will be returning to the stage in support of “The Fall of Mary” which is released in March 2006.
What the Media Gatekeepers have had to say about Finlay:
I Dreams & Visions
"Come lose yourself in this perplexing maze of ideas."" -Kerrang “Heroic and inspired pop music tuned in from an unearthly frequency" UNCUT
“Crawling the pavement, certainly, but gazing starwards, Finlay revel in dark poetry and cracked rock'n'roll" - Careless Talk Costs Lives
The Fall of Mary
“Perhaps the best US indie-rock record not to come out of the States this year" - SoundsXp
“The best, most hypnotic, moving, engaging, skewed, lo-fi, glittering, colourful, concise, inventive guitar record of 2006" - Robots and Electronic Brains
"An extraordinary fuzz-pop masterpiece of staggering depth and vision" - God is in the TV
