Midwestern trio Cloakroom formed in 2012, coining the term "stoner emo" to describe their lurching, guitar-heavy sound that borrowed equally from hardcore's brawniness, the dreamy sound-webs of shoegaze, and sad-hearted '90s indie rock bands like Hum and Red House Painters. Since debuting in 2013, the band has issued two EPs and three studio albums, including 2015's Further Out, 2017's Time Well, and 2022's Dissolution Wave.

Forming in Michigan City, Indiana, the band consisted of guitarist/vocalist Doyle Martin, who had formerly fronted pop-punk act the Grown-Ups, as well as drummer Brian Busch and bassist Bobby Markos. The band's debut EP, Infinity, arrived in 2013 and was followed in 2015 by the more developed double album Further Out -- both efforts were released via Run for Cover. Cloakroom inked a deal with Relapse ahead of the arrival of their sophomore full-length effort, 2017's Time Well, which they promoted with a European tour alongside Canadian post-rockers Caspian. 2021 saw the release of the hard-hitting single "A Force at Play," which appeared on the group's third long-player, 2022's space western-themed Dissolution Wave. ~ Fred Thomas, Rovi