The Shins

The Shins are a musical group on Sub Pop Records comprising singer and guitarist James Russell Mercer, keyboardist/guitarist Martin Crandall, bassist Dave Hernandez,

The Shins are a musical group on Sub Pop Records comprising singer and guitarist James Russell Mercer, keyboardist/guitarist Martin Crandall, bassist Dave Hernandez, and drummer Jesse Sandoval. Their sound is commonly described as indie rock, drawing on several musical genres including pop (in the tradition of The Beach Boys), alternative, country, emo, and folk.

The Shins began in 1997, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as a side project of Mercer (previously of Blue Roof Dinner) and Sandoval, who were both members of the lo-fi musical group Flake (formed in 1992). By 1999, Flake (which by then had been renamed Flake Music) was disbanded and all of its former members became The Shins, excluding Dave Hernandez, former member of Scared of Chaka, who joined the group following the departure of Flake bassist Neal Langford. The group is currently based in Portland, Oregon.