Hiss Golden Messenger

Fronted by singer-songwriter MC Taylor, Hiss Golden Messenger is a Grammy-nominated Americana band from Durham, North Carolina. Taylor and Scott Hirsch launched the project in 2007, following the breakup of their critically-acclaimed alt-country band, The Court & Spark. Together, they recorded the debut album Country Hai East Cotton and released it in 2008 via Taylor's own label, Heaven & Earth Magic Recording Company. Bad Debt followed in 2010 and served as the group's first album to be released internationally. After 2011's Poor Moon, 2012's Lord How I Love The Rain, and 2013's Haw, Hiss Golden Messenger signed with the American label Merge and released 2014's Lateness of Dancers, a critically-acclaimed record that turned the band into indie darlings. Lateness of Dancers reached number 13 on the US Folk Albums chart and was followed by 2016's Heart Like a Levee, which hit number 19 on the same chart. As the decade drew to a close, Hiss Golden Messenger received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Americana Album" with 2019's Terms of Surrender. The singles "Domino (Time Will Tell)" and "I Need a Teacher" became hits on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart that same year, peaking at number 40 and number 29, respectively. One year later, "Sanctuary" reached number 12. Now a familiar name on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart, Hiss Golden Messenger returned to the Top 50 in 2023 with "Nu-Grape," a hit from the band's album Jump for Joy.