Christian Savill and Sean Hewson, a London-based indie rock duo, have been playing together under various names since 1989, including a brief stint as the Eternal, a band that released one single on the Sarah label. Savill, who was also in
Slowdive, decided to start playing again with Hewson in 2000 as
Monster Movie, most likely naming themselves after the
Can album of the same name. Since debuting in 2001 with a five-track EP on Clairecords, they've released a handful of EPs and albums, including Last Night Something Happened (2001), a split EP with
Dreamend (2002),
Transistor (2004),
To the Moon (2004),
All Lost (2006), and
Everyone Is a Ghost (2010). Their recordings have drifted between neo-shoegaze, straight-up indie pop, and synth-driven material inspired by the Factory label's dance-oriented sect (
Section 25,
New Order). When
Slowdive reunited in 2014, it inspired the duo to form an actual band, so they drafted in
Air Formation's James Harrison on drums and
Slowdive's Nick Chaplin on bass. They hit the studio with longtime producer Ryan Graveface and emerged in 2017 with
Keep the Voices Distant, their biggest-sounding record to date. ~ Andy Kellman & Tim Sendra