- Indie alt rock band formed in 2005 from Provo Utah. The primary lineup was Tyler Glenn (lead vocals, keyboards), Chris Allen (lead and rhythm guitars, vocals), Branden Campbell (bass guitar, vocals) and Elaine Bradley (drums, vocals). Glenn is the primary songwriter, with occasional contributions by the other members.
- Glenn and Allen were childhood friends, growing up in Southern California. In 2004, Glenn’s father suggested that the two friends start to perform music together. When Allen moved to Provo Utah for school, Glenn followed him. While in Utah, they connected with three other Utah-based musicians and they started performing at clubs in Provo and Salt Lake City in late 2005. Glenn picked the name Neon Trees while admiring the lighted tree on an In-N-Out Burger neon sign. They self-released several EPs in 2006, and later that year, the three local musicians left the group, replaced by Campbell and Bradley.
- At a small club in Las Vegas in 2008, Ronnie Vannucci from the band The Killers saw them perform – Vannucci previously was a bandmate of Campbell’s in a ska group named Attaboy Skip. Vannucci enjoyed the show, and soon Neon Trees was opening for The Killers during their 2008 tour. In 2009, the record label for The Killers offered a recording contract to Neon Trees.
- Their debut studio album, Habits, was released in 2010. They performed the single Animal on several late night talk shows, and the single slowly gained momentum on the charts. After 32 weeks, Animal reached #1 on the Alternative Songs chart. It also charted on six other Billboard charts, including a peak at #13 on the Hot 100 chart. In 2011, it was chosen by Billboard as the Top Alternative Song for the year.
- Their exposure continued to grow as they toured with established bands like Duran Duran and My Chemical Romance. In 2012, they released their second studio album, Picture Show. The lead single Everybody Talks became their biggest hit, peaking at #6 on the Hot 100 and topping the Adult Top 40 chart. A second single from the album, Lessons In Love (All Day, All Night) charted on five Billboard charts, and a remix by EDM DJ Kaskade managed to chart on the Hot 100 chart.
- After touring with high profile acts like Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift, they released the Pop Psychology album in 2014. The album was a catharsis for Glenn, who had given up his Mormon faith after announcing that he was gay. Pop Psychology reached #6 on the Billboard 200 album chart and it topped Top Alternative Albums chart, with the single Sleeping With a Friend reaching #51 on the Hot 100 chart and #7 on the Adult Top 40 chart.
- Neon Trees remained relatively quiet for several years as Glenn focused on a solo album in 2016 and a run on the Broadway musical Kinky Boots in 2018. They returned to the studio in 2019 and the following year, they released their fourth studio album, I Can Feel You Forgetting Me. While still unmistakenly synthpop, it continued the group’s evolution to deeper topics about the struggles of life.
- Neon Trees is interesting – four Mormons make new wave pop songs, the front man comes out gay and renounces his faith, and they still all get along. Check out their video to their first hit, Animal. Catchy tune alert!