Icon for Hire is an American rock band from Decatur, Illinois. Formed in 2007, the band's current lineup consists of singer Ariel Bloomer and lead guitarist Shawn Jump. They released two EPs independently before signing to Tooth & Nail Records, through which they released their first two albums: Scripted in 2011 and Icon for Hire on October 15, 2013. Their third album, You Can't Kill Us, was independently released on November 25, 2016. Their fourth album, Amorphous, was released on February 19, 2021, also independently. Their fifth independent studio album, The Reckoning, was released on September 30, 2022.
History
Origins: 2007–2009
Singer Ariel Bloomer performing in 2016
The band was formed in Decatur, Illinois, by vocalist Ariel Bloomer and guitarist Shawn Jump. When the two met in 2007, Ariel, upon discovering that Jump played guitar, initiated a musical collaboration between the two of them. When the need for a drummer arose, Jump recruited Adam Kronshagen, an old friend he had held jam sessions with as a member of the local party scene (Jump was six months clean at the time).[1][2] The band officially formed in November of that year, after bassist Joshua Davis joined. They chose their name as a satirical comment on the state of the music industry.[3]
The band played their first show in a local club before an audience of family and friends, who gave them a positive reception. Ariel has been quoted as saying of the performance, "Our passion for music was there; whatever we lacked in sound we made up for with enthusiasm." Over the next two years, the band toured throughout the Midwest and released two EPs, the self-titled Icon for Hire EP in 2008 and The Grey EP in 2009.[4] During that same year, Davis left the band.
Tooth & Nail, Scripted and self-titled album: 2009–2015
In late 2009, the band was contacted by Tooth & Nail Records through Myspace. The label then sent representatives to one of the band's shows, and eventually signed them in July 2010.[4] "We are thrilled to be joining such an established and well-respected group at Tooth & Nail," shared the band upon their signing. "It's a label that has a history of consistently putting out good music and really working side by side with their artists. Because we've been doing this thing on our own for over two years, it feels great to partner with Tooth & Nail. We can't wait to record our debut full-length and see where this road takes us." They spent the last quarter of 2010 in the studio with producers Rob Hawkins and Aaron Sprinkle recording their first full-length album, Scripted, which was released by the label on August 23, 2011. The album made it on the US Billboard charts at No. 7 for Hard Rock Albums, No. 5 for Christian Albums, No. 16 for Alternative Albums, No. 22 for Rock Albums, and No. 95 on the Billboard 200. It also sold more than 4,300 units in the first week of release and broke the record for first week sales on a Tooth & Nail debut album.[5] The band also achieved success with the album's lead single "Make a Move", which peaked at No. 13 on R&R/Billboard's Christian Rock chart and had an accompanying music video exclusively released online by Guitar World magazine's website. Also in 2011, the band acquired bassist Josh Kincheloe.
In December 2011, Ariel stated that, while the band had been focusing on extensive touring rather than writing new music, she had "a feeling that we'll start piecing together some demos shortly."[6] In a later interview with TVU Music channel, she revealed that the band was in the early stages of writing songs for a second album.[7] In an interview with KHRT-FM, the band expressed their desire for the album to be "heavier....more aggressive", with more bubblegum pop production and possible hip hop elements.[8] On August 15, 2013, Icon for Hire premiered their new single "Cynics and Critics" via lyric video and announced their second album, the self-titled Icon for Hire.[9] The album was released on October 15, 2013, whereupon it reached No. 66 on the Billboard 200 and received largely positive reviews.
Departure from Tooth & Nail and You Can't Kill Us: 2015–2018
On June 6, 2015, Icon for Hire announced that they broke their contract with Tooth & Nail records to go independent, citing creative, ideological, and technical differences with the label. They simultaneously announced that they would soon be releasing new music[10] and released a new song, "Now You Know".[11][12] "Bam Bam Pop" was also recorded.[13][better source needed]
On November 20, 2015, the band announced that Adam Kronshagen was leaving the band in order to focus on his family more, and that the band would continue.[14]
On March 15, 2016, the band announced a Kickstarter campaign for their third album, You Can't Kill Us.[15][16] The album would be released throughout the year, with three new songs released to campaign backers every three months. The band raised $127,200, exceeding their initial goal of $2,016.[17] "Supposed To Be" was released as the lead single from the album among its first group of releases, and received a music video on July 22, 2016, which was directed by Jamie Holt and included fans who donated to their Kickstarter campaign.[18][19] Lead singer, Ariel, announced the album's release date of November 25.[20]You Can't Kill Us was released on November 25, 2016, and peaked at No. 180 on the Billboard 200 chart.[21][22]
On October 23, 2018, the band uploaded a video to their YouTube channel titled "Supposed To Be Acoustic Sessions Video Teaser", announcing their first video session to come soon, as well as that the Still Can't Kill Us: The Acoustic Sessions album would be released on December 7.[23] The band released their "Supposed to Be" Acoustic Video on October 26, their "Get Well II" Acoustic Video on November 8, and "Demons" Acoustic Video on November 23. The tracks were also uploaded to Spotify as singles.[citation needed]
Amorphous and The Reckoning: 2019–present
While the band was on their “Icon Army Tour” in Europe from February to March 2020, the spread of COVID-19 and ensuing pandemic forced them to cancel the remaining shows and return to the United States of America just before the US border closed.
During the “stay at home” period imposed by the band’s home-state of Tennessee, Icon for Hire announced they were working on their next album with producer David Thulin, with whom they “merged quarantines with”.[24] On September 19, 2020, the band announced the launch of a Kickstarter campaign in order to gather funds to release their next album, titled “Amorphous”, with the goal of reaching $2,942.[25] By the end of the campaign on October 24, 2020, the band announced that they surpassed their initial goal and received $263,082 from 3,214 backers, beating their previous Kickstarter campaign by 106.8%.
“Amorphous” was released on February 19, 2021, to mostly positive reviews, including a rating of 3.5 of 5 stars by Cryptic Rock.[26] Following this, a virtual album release show was announced for April 10 2021,[27] which would be streamed from the Icon for Hire website.
On September 17, 2021, the band published a picture of Ariel, Shawn, and producer David Thulin on their Instagram with a teaser that they have “just finished something pretty special”.[28] Several months later on December 8, 2021, they announced the release of “Amorphous Extended Edition”,[29] which included one previously unreleased song, three songs that had previously been released as singles, and 6 acoustic versions of songs from the standard "Amorphous" album.
Icon for Hire’s 6th studio album, The Reckoning, was launched on September 30, 2022,[30] followed by the announcement of their first European tour since the pandemic, as an opening act for The Rasmus.
Icon for Hire toured on LiveNation's "Ones to Watch" tour in 2013 along the side of Redlight King.[36] Later that year, the band kicked off the "Evening With Icon for Hire" tour. The shows featured music, fashion, a pre-concert acoustic set, and an intimate Q&A with the group.[37]
Icon For Hire appeared on all dates of Van's Warped Tour 2014[38] and the 2015 tour.[39]
In October – November 2016 they were on You Can't Kill Us tour with Stitched Up Heart.[40]
From February to May 2018 the band was on a worldwide Turn Your Pain into Art tour with Riot Child as opening act in Europe.[41][42]
In October – November 2019 the band went on a US tour with Veridia and Amy Guess.[43]
From February to March 2020 was on the "Icon Army Tour" in Europe, starting in Moscow, Russia, on February 20 and planned to end in Milan[44] with Italian band Halflives as opening act. Due to the spread of COVID-19 in Europe and the announcement of COVID-19 lockdowns in Italy on 9 March 2020, Icon for Hire was forced to cancel their last shows in Zurich, Switzerland (due to happen on March 12, 2020) and Milan (March 13, 2020)[45] and to return to the United States of America.
On April 27, 2022, Icon For Hire announced their headlining "Ready for Combat" tour from June - July 2022 with Sumo Cyco and Awake At Last.[46]
On September 2, 2022, Finnish band The Rasmus announced their "Live and Never Die '22" tour in 21 cities across Europe, citing Icon for Hire as their opening act throughout the tour. This would be the first time Icon for Hire returns to Europe after the COVID-19 pandemic.[47] On October 20, only ten days into the tour, Icon for Hire announced they would be cancelling all remaining shows citing "growing economic concerns in Europe" and "airline misplacement of music gear",[48] resulting in an unexpected and unplanned increase in costs.
Musical style and influences
The band's sound combines pop punk and alternative metal elements with strings and electronics.[49] Jamie Maxwell of Cross Rhythms describes them as a punk band, but notes that "the electronic influence evident in some of their tracks is a definite nod to the likes of Linkin Park and others in the nu metal mould."[50] In describing the band's sound, lead singer Ariel has said that the band is "first and foremost just a rock band. That's where our roots are and where our hearts are. But a few years ago we started really getting into synths and programming. We love the combination of brutal, in-your-face riffs, with the fun candy of pop production sprinkled all over it."[2]
The band's sound has often been compared to that of other female-fronted rock bands, particularly Paramore.[4][50][51][52] Nathaniel Schexnayder of Jesus Freak Hideout went so far as to label the band's debut album Scripted as generic, saying that the band "borrows their elements from other female fronted acts like Flyleaf, Fireflight, and Paramore at an alarming degree."[53] Ariel has taken issue with these comparisons, citing the band's "unique combination of programming/pop elements, mixed with a commercial rock sound" as a distinguishing element, in addition to the band's live performances: "We've never had someone come see us live and compare us to other bands." She has also noted such comparisons as unfairly discriminatory: "It frustrates me how in so many other industries you are acknowledged for your skill and education, but in music somehow if you're a chick you better be bringing something extraordinarily mind-blowing to the table in order to have a shot. It's a bit sexist I think."[4] Their song "Now You Know" addresses the subject at length.[citation needed]
Religious affiliation
Icon for Hire have had complicated relations with the Christian music market as they are not categorized as a Christian band. Ariel stated that they do not play music for Christians but to "save the world"[54] and that they try to distance themselves from identifying as part of the Christian music industry to avoid pushing non-Christians away from hearing that message.[55][56] Despite this, several writers have identified Icon for Hire as part of the Christian music scene,[49][50][57] and some critics have noted references to the members' Christian faith in their lyrics. David Jeffries pointed out that "Christian ideals are the driving force" in the lyrics on Scripted, though he acknowledged that "you could look at this as a secular rebellion against the mopey 'scene' bands and still thrill at Icon for Hire's fresh attitude and sense of purpose."[51] Schexnayder, while admitting that "the group doesn't wear their faith on their sleeve in their messages", noted a general encouraging message on the album and singled out the song "The Grey" as containing "spiritual references".[53] Kim Jones of About.com said that the categorization was inaccurate "if you're looking to use the term to put them into a nice and safe box, limited to only a Christian audience."[58]
