Rilo Kiley

Rilo Kiley are an influential Los Angeles band whose rise from indie darlings of the early 2000s to major-label success story helped chart a course for numerous artists in their wake. Led by co-songwriters Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett, Rilo Kiley epitomized a youthful collision of romance, disillusionment, and ambition on early releases like 2001's Take Offs and Landings and 2002's The Execution of All Things. Their mix of yearning indie pop with detours into country, folk, and chamber pop endeared them to fans and helped them rise to mainstream success in the latter half of the decade. After signing with Warner Bros. they issued two more albums, reaching the Top 40 with 2007's Under the Blacklight before disbanding in 2013. In the years that followed, Lewis enjoyed continued success as a solo artist while a younger generation of Rilo Kiley fans like Phoebe Bridgers and Waxahatchee carried the torch forward. In 2025, Saddle Creek issued an anthology album and the band reunited to play their first run of shows since 2008.Led by a pair of former Hollywood child actors, Jenny Lewis (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Blake Sennett, (guitar, vocals), the quartet held its first practice in 1998. Bassist Pierre de Reeder and drummer Dave Brock (later replaced by ex-Foundation Lassie member Jason Boesel) completed the lineup, and a weekly residency at the Spaceland nightclub in Silverlake allowed Rilo Kiley to hone their mix of winsome indie pop, country, torch songs, and folk.Their debut album Take Offs and Landings was released in 2001 by the Seattle-based Barsuk Records, also home to Death Cab for Cutie (whose lead singer, Ben Gibbard, would later enlist Lewis' help on the Postal Service's gold-selling debut). Although Lewis' side projects and star appeal would eventually make her the focal point of Rilo Kiley, Take Offs was the work of a dually fronted band, with Sennet contributing lead vocals on four tracks. The band supported the album by hitting the road, during which they were introduced to Omaha native Tim Kasher (Cursive, the Good Life) at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall. Both of Kasher's bands were signed to Omaha's Saddle Creek Records, whose solid roster and promise of creative freedom attracted Rilo Kiley's interest. Although the exclusive label had rarely opened its doors to bands outside of Omaha's city limits, they nevertheless signed Rilo Kiley and released the band's twangy sophomore effort, The Execution of All Things, in October 2002.After touring with the likes of the Breeders, Pedro the Lion, and Superchunk, the band took some time off to pursue separate projects. Lewis contributed backing vocals to the Postal Service's Give Up, later touring with the band as well, while Sennett and Boesel released their debut album with the Elected. Rilo Kiley reconvened to record 2004's More Adventurous, but creative differences with Saddle Creek convinced the band to create their own label, Brute/Beaute Records (an imprint under the Warner umbrella), for the record's official release. Buoyed by a cohesive sound, several singles, and big-time distribution from Warner Bros., More Adventurous significantly heightened the band's profile. Tours with Coldplay and Bright Eyes followed, and the popular song "Portions for Foxes" was featured on the TV drama Grey's Anatomy.Following the success of their third album, Rilo Kiley took yet another break to focus on personal projects. Boesel toured the world as Bright Eyes' drummer and worked with Sennet to record the Elected's sophomore release, Sun, Sun, Sun, but all efforts paled in comparison to the critical success of Jenny Lewis' solo debut, Rabbit Fur Coat. Released by Team Love Records (co-founded by Lewis' onetime labelmate, Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst) and featuring vocal duo the Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat charted higher than any Rilo Kiley album to date. Lewis earned critical accolades and toured her solo release heavily before resuming work with Rilo Kiley. Under the Blacklight, the band's first album on a major label budget, was released in August 2007 and became their most commercially successful release to date, peaking at 22 on the Billboard 200. Lewis released a second solo album called Acid Tongue in 2008, a tacit admission that Rilo Kiley was starting to unravel. Despite this, the band was slow to make any declarations about its future. In 2010, Jason Boesel stated the band was on hiatus and the following year, Sennett cryptically said they were finished. Closing this chapter of Rilo Kiley's career was the 2013 rarities set, RKives, which featured a group of previously unreleased songs. Over the next decade, Lewis continued to forge a solo career with Boesel occasionally playing in her live band, while Sennett largely worked as a producer. A casual get-together in the early 2020s eventually led to a proper Rilo Kiley reunion, which took place in 2025. Coinciding with their first tour in 17 years, Saddle Creek issued the career anthology That’s How We Choose to Remember It in May of that year.
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