The Internet
WHAT IS THE INTERNET?
The LA-based band The Internet has been on a stellar trajectory since forming in 2011. Their distinct, critically acclaimed sound is a blend of R&B, hip-hop, funk and jazz laced with electronic elements pushing the envelope of the neo-soul movement.
The five-piece band was initiated by former Odd Future members Syd tha Kyd (now just Syd) and Matt Martians producing together, Syd laying down the vocals with Martians on keys. The super collective also contains production-prodigy and guitarist Steve Lacy, bassist Patrick Paige II, and percussionist/mixer Christopher Smith.
They released their first album Purple Naked Ladies in 2011 on Odd Future Records via Sony, but it was with their second long play Feel Good in 2013 that created a real buzz among media outlets and fans, reaching a wider audience. Then in 2015 the band came into their own delivering their smash-hit album Ego Death (featuring Janelle Monáe, Tyler the Creator, and Kaytranada), hailed by critics all round as the best album of the year, which also landed them a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album to boot.
On the back of this – and a bit unexpectedly – the band members went off to pursue their individual careers, and excelled in doing so. Between 2017 and 2018 Syd’s Fin album, Matt Martians’ The Drum Chord Theory, Patrick Paige II’s Letters of Irrelevance, Steve Lacy’s Demo and Christopher A. Smith’s Loud – as a part of the duo C&T – saw the light of day.
It was a move which had The Internet fans and media alike scratching their heads with an omnipresent pressing question “is this the end of The Internet?”
Then in 2018, after a three-year hiatus since the release of lauded Ego Death, the band announced their fourth album Hive Mind. It dropped in July and was received with widespread critical acclaim as their most accomplished yet, their silky soul-inflected sound matured, refined and undeniably theirs. The same year they also opened for Gorillaz on their The Now Now Tour.
