Founded by former Emarosa and Dance Gavin Dance frontman Jonny Craig, Slaves are an experimental post-hardcore outfit formed in 2014. Also featuring guitarists Christopher Kim and Alex Lyman, bassist Jason Mays, and former Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows drummer Tai Wright, Slaves were quickly signed to Artery Recordings just two months after Craig announced that they were a band. With a U.S. tour booked before the group had even released an album, Mays announced he was leaving the band due to health issues, prompting Craig to recruit Andrew Mena to fill in for the tour. By June of that year, only six months after their formation, Slaves made their full-length debut with Through Art We Are All Equals, a guest-packed album that showcased the band's soaring, ethereal sound. Routine Breathing, the band's sophomore studio long-player, arrived in 2015, the same year that Colin Vieira joined Slaves as the group's new bassist. On April 10, 2016, Slaves announced their breakup after a concert in Santa Cruz, California, but the following month Craig indicated that the band would continue. In 2018, with a lineup comprised of Craig, Vieira, and guitarist Weston Richmond, Slaves released their third long-player, Beautiful Death, via Sony subsidiary The Orchard. ~ Gregory Heaney, Rovi