En are a San Francisco-based experimental ambient duo consisting of Maxwell August Croy (who co-founded the Root Strata label with Jefre Cantu-Ledesma) and James Devane. The duo create their warm, reflective compositions with a variety of electronic and acoustic instruments, including guitars, pianos, organs, tapes, toy instruments, and computer processing. Their recordings are rich and tuneful, and while they're generally tranquil and peaceful, they occasionally have an undercurrent of noisy distortion. The duo began recording together in 2009, and started performing around California in 2010. By the end of the year, their debut full-length, The Absent Coast, appeared on Root Strata. The duo played gigs in Portland and Brooklyn in 2011, and their sophomore effort, Already Gone, was issued by Alex Cobb's Students of Decay label in 2012. Immediately following its release, En toured Japan with Grouper and Cuushe. Following more gigs along the North American West Coast with artists including Illuha and Marcus Fischer, En's split cassette with Jefre Cantu-Ledesma appeared on Constellation Tatsu near the end of 2012. After contributing "White" to Ghostly International's SMM: Opiate compilation in 2013, En played a few more gigs and worked on their third album. The double LP City of Brides was released by Students of Decay near the end of 2015, and was accompanied by the self-released digital EP Blue Pink Orange White. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi