Featuring Nathan Willett and Matt Maust of Cold War Kids and We Barbarians' Nathan Warkentin, French Style Furs go deeper into the soulful yet punky sounds of the group members' main projects. Maust and Willett connected with Warkentin while in New York City and began working on music together in early 2013, taking the project's name from a Greenpoint furrier. While Warkentin and Maust laid down basic tracks, Willett adapted the poetry of 20th century monk Thomas Merton -- whose writing grappled with social justice and spirituality -- into lyrics. With the help of collaborators including percussionist Stephen Hodges and Dirty Projectors' Haley Dekle, French Style Furs completed their first full-length, Is Exotic Bait. The album, which producer Nick Launay mixed, arrived in July 2014. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi