Eve 6

American punk-pop trio Eve 6 released two platinum- and gold-selling albums (Eve 6 and Horrorscope) and scored three Top 40 singles, including the chart-topping "Inside Out," during the late '90s and early 2000s. The group disbanded after the release of 2003's It's All in Your Head, but reunited for a series of tours with a new lineup in 2007. They re-formed the original trio in 2012, issuing their long-awaited fourth LP, Speak in Code, though it would be a full ten years before their next LP, 2022's Hyper Relevisation.

The band's two founders, guitarist Jon Siebels and bassist/vocalist Max Collins, signed a contract with RCA Records while still attending high school in La Crescenta, a neighborhood in northern Los Angeles. Originally called Eleventeen, the bandmates took three long years -- during which time they added a new drummer, Tony Fagenson -- to prep their debut album. The delay was intentional, as RCA Records had demanded the boys graduate from high school before releasing any material. While waiting to issue an album (which ultimately arrived in 1998), Eve 6 sharpened their act by playing local coffeehouses.

"Inside Out," the leadoff single from Eve 6's self-titled debut, became a number one modern rock hit in 1998, ousting the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris" from the chart-topping position. "Leech" also proved to be a popular single, and Eve 6's record went platinum as a result. Two years later, the band returned with Horrorscope, which went gold on the strength of "Promise" and the power ballad "Here's to the Night," which was also a Top 40/MTV smash. Eve 6 toured the globe throughout 2000 and 2001 while writing songs for a third record, It's All in Your Head, which was released in mid-2003. Despite the moderate success of the single "Think Twice," sales for the record never truly took off, and Eve 6 were dropped by RCA Records in March 2004. Shortly thereafter, the members announced their decision to disband, and Eve 6 played their final show in July.

Siebels went on to play guitar with Monsters Are Waiting, while Collins and Fagenson resurfaced in mid-2006 with their new band, the Sugi Tap. In 2007, Collins and Fagenson added guitarist Matt Bair and put the Sugi Tap on hold to tour as Eve 6 in 2008. In 2011, with new songs, new management, and with Siebels back on board, the band officially re-formed and signed with Fearless Records. A new album, Speak in Code, produced by Don Gilmore (who produced Eve 6's first two albums), appeared in April 2012. Longtime kit man Tony Fagenson left the fold in 2018, making room for new drummer Ben Hilzinger (Beautiful Ben, Unmistakable Stems), who made his studio debut on the 2021 EP Grim Value. Finally, in September 2022, a full decade after their last album, Eve 6 issued their fifth full-length, Hyper Relevisation. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Steve Leggett