La Dispute - Tiny Dots (2016)

Grand Rapids, Michigan-based post-hardcore band La Dispute formed in 2004, made up of cousins Jordan Dreyer and Brad Vander Lugt (on vocals and drums, respectively) with friends Kevin Whittemore and Derek Sterenberg on guitars and Adam Kool on bass. The band played locally before releasing debut EP Vancouver in 2006. Shortly after, Sterenberg was replaced by his brother Chad. Adam Vass joined the band in 2007, replacing Kool on bass. Dreyer's lyrics and vocal style lean toward the spoken word style of his written poetry and prose, finding a space between stream-of-consciousness fluidity and imagery of everyday life. Following their debut EP, La Dispute released the albums Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair in 2008 and Wildlife in 2011. Between albums, the band issued a series of 7" releases entitled Hear, Here, which focused on more experimental material. Their third album, Rooms of the House, materialized in 2014. ~ Fred Thomas.