Durand Jones & The Indications

A quintet of revivalists who celebrated a style of soul that was popular decades before any of them were born, Durand Jones & The Indications met in the early 2010s while studying and playing music at Indiana University. Fronted by Durand Jones, the band also consisted of guitar player Blake Rhein, drummer Aaron Frazer, organist Justin Hubler, and bassist Kyle Houpt, who all bonded over a mutual affection for soul superstars like Curtis Mayfield and Jackie Wilson. They first started to play together in 2012, and recorded their first single, “Smile”, three years later. They used home recording equipment in 2016 to record their self-titled debut LP for less than $500. The album gained a word-of-mouth following thanks in part to the band’s live shows. They signed with Indiana record label Dead Oceans and began playing more shows throughout the world. Finally getting to a real recording studio, the band added production value for their sophomore album, American Love Call, bringing strings to their retro-soul sound. In 2020 they released a single, a cover of the David Bowie song “Young Americans” and in 2021 Private Space became their first LP to crack the top U.S. album chart and contained “Witchoo”, their first single to hit the Adult Alternative Airplay chart, topping out at number 24.