The Bends

Youll encounter all kinds of relatable, yet colorful characters in the music of The Bends. Theres the over- bored hipster chick in ripped jeans and a tight t-shirt, the friend whos only there for the party, the dude whod rather smoke in his room than pay attention to his girl, and so on and so forth. The Baton Rouge-bred and Nashville-based quartetHayden Field [vocals, guitar], Ian Marmande [guitar], Jacob Rhodes[drums], and Chase Perkins [bass]craft the kind of undeniable alternative rock that could just as easily soundtrack a scene in your favorite Reality Bites-style nineties flick or a TikTok trend.

Its as quotable as it is quixotic, lacing fuzz-ed out power chords with unapologetically candid lyrics. Meeting at LSU, the band seized any opportunity to perform in front of an audience, gigging marathon cover sets at college bars and frat parties. By the time senior year rolled around, the four- piece cut their first original Makeup.

It organically exploded online once Zach Bryan shared it on his Instagram story, calling it the song of the year. Along the way, they notably captured the ear of Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin who jumped at the chance to produce and co-write Virginia and introduced them to Warner Records. Now, The Bends raw and real sound that powers a series of 2026 singles and their forthcoming debut for Warner Records.