Editors

Formed in 2002 and based in Birmingham, England, Editors rose to prominence in the post-punk revival of the 2000s. With a sound characterized by incisive guitars, dark atmospheres, and Tom Smith’s deep voice, the group incorporated influences from bands such as Joy Division and Echo & the Bunnymen. The members met at the University of Staffordshire, and the lineup that achieved their first major recognition consisted of Smith (vocals and guitar), Chris Urbanowicz (guitar), Russ Leetch (bass), and Ed Lay (drums).

Before adopting the name Editors, the band went by the names Pilot, The Pride, and Snowfield. In January 2005, the quartet released their first single, “Bullets,” on Kitchenware Records. The track paved the way for The Back Room, their debut album released in July of that year. Driven by hits like “Munich” and “Blood,” the album won over audiences and critics alike, earning the group a nomination for the 2006 Mercury Prize.

Their second album, An End Has a Start, was released in 2007 and debuted at the top of the UK charts. The singles “Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors,” “An End Has a Start,” and “The Racing Rats” cemented the band’s international reputation. In 2009, In This Light and on This Evening, produced by Flood, marked a change in direction, with synthesizers and electronic elements taking center stage. The album also topped the charts in the United Kingdom, with “Papillon” as its standout track.

In April 2012, the band announced the departure of Chris Urbanowicz due to creative differences regarding the band’s musical future. With the arrival of guitarist Justin Lockey and multi-instrumentalist Elliott Williams, the group began performing as a quintet. The new lineup debuted on The Weight of Your Love (2013), produced by Jacquire King, bringing guitars back to the forefront of the arrangements.

In 2015, the band released In Dream, a self-produced album that delved deeper into electronic textures and featured Rachel Goswell of Slowdive. Their sixth album, Violence (2018), blended rock and electronic music on tracks like “Magazine” and “Hallelujah (So Low).” Sessions with producer Benjamin John Power — known for the project Blanck Mass — led to The Blanck Mass Sessions (2019), featuring alternate versions of the previous album and the previously unreleased track “Barricades.”

In September 2022, Editors released their seventh studio album, EBM, with Benjamin John Power (also co-founder of the duo Fuck Buttons) officially joining the lineup. The album had a strong electronic focus; the title itself combines the initials of Editors and Blanck Mass, while also referencing the electronic body music genre.

Their eighth album, Surface, Echo & Sound, was released on October 30, 2026, by Play It Again Sam. Once again a quintet following Power’s departure, the group adopted a more organic approach, collectively developing songs that Tom Smith had sketched out on acoustic guitar.