TTNG, the mathy Oxford indie rock band once known as This Town Needs Guns, have returned with a surprise new EP after about a decade of silence, Stereogum reported. The band formed in 2002 with a tricky, technical sound that drew clear inspiration from Midwest emo bands like American Football.
Original singer and guitarist Stuart Smith left the group after the release of their 2009 debut, Animals, and TTNG carried on without him for two more albums, most recently 2016's Disappointment Island. The new EP marks Smith's return to the band, reuniting the lineup that made the group's earliest and most influential material.
Stereogum noted the timing catches longtime fans off guard, given how long it had been since any new TTNG material surfaced, and framed Smith's return as a genuine reunion rather than a one-off guest appearance. The EP gives the band a chance to pick back up a sound rooted in the tight, interlocking guitar work that defined its early run.
With the surprise EP now logged on the release calendar and Smith back in the fold, it remains to be seen whether TTNG will follow with a full tour or additional new music built around the reunited lineup.
The facts
- Surprise new EP marks the band's first new music in about a decade
- Original vocalist Stuart Smith rejoins after leaving following 2009's Animals
- Band formed in 2002 as This Town Needs Guns before shortening its name to TTNG
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