Failure (band)

Failure

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1990 in Los Angeles, USA
Defunct	1997 (initially)
Fate	Reunited in 2014
Headquarters	Los Angeles , United States
Products	Studio albums, EPs

Failure is an alternative rock group originating from Los Angeles, USA, initially active between 1990 and 1997, and reuniting in 2014. Their discography includes six studio albums alongside five EP releases.

1990–1997: Origins, Comfort, Magnified, and Fantastic Planet

In 1992, Failure inked a deal with Slash Records, an independent label based in Los Angeles with distribution through Warner Bros. Records within the United States. They recorded their first album at Pachyderm Studio under the guidance of producer Steve Albini. The debut album, Comfort, was released in September 1992, coinciding with their inaugural tour supporting Tool.

Dissatisfied with the unrefined production and limited mixing control on Comfort, the band took on self-production for their follow-up album in 1993. During recording, bassist Gauss departed midway, prompting Edwards to temporarily cover drum duties until Kellii Scott joined as drummer. The sophomore album, Magnified, arrived in March 1994; its lead single "Undone" received minimal video airplay. Critics recognized an evolution in the band's sound, and they toured once more with Tool, featuring Tool guitarist Adam Jones joining them on stage.

Capitalizing on the progress made with Magnified, Failure recorded their third album in 1995 at a rented house near Los Angeles, largely self-producing and engineering the project. However, the expiration of their label’s distribution agreement with Warner caused delays in releasing the album. During this hiatus, members pursued side ventures: Andrews and Edwards formed Replicants, Andrews engaged in producing other artists, and Scott performed session work. By spring 1996, Warner consented to release the album under Slash Records one final time.

Released in August 1996, Fantastic Planet featured new guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen. Its lead single "Stuck on You" gained traction on alternative radio, reaching No. 31 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart and No. 23 on the Modern Rock chart. Other songs such as "Saturday Saviour" also received some radio exposure; however, promotional efforts were hampered by complications with their label.

In 1997, Failure contributed a rendition of Depeche Mode’s "Enjoy the Silence" for the tribute compilation For the Masses. That summer, they participated in the Lollapalooza festival tour. Initially scheduled for side stage performances, they were elevated to main stage slots following Korn’s withdrawal. Throughout the tour, Failure performed sets on both main and side stages.

On November 19, 1997, citing personal conflicts among members, Failure officially announced their breakup.

1997–2013: Activities following disbandment

Ken Andrews established himself as a prominent producer, engineer, and mixer while leading projects such as ON (active from 1999 to 2002), which embraced electronic elements rather than Failure’s heavier rock style. His subsequent band Year of the Rabbit (2002–2004) marked a return to a traditional four-piece rock format but entered indefinite hiatus after Elektra Records was dissolved following its merger with Atlantic Records. Andrews continues to perform solo and collaborates within the "digital band" Los Angeles Digital Noise Academy (LADNA), which includes artists like Brad Laner and Charlotte Martin—whom he married in 2005. His solo album Secrets of the Lost Satellite was released in 2007. Additionally, Andrews founded Dinosaur Fight Records to distribute his own releases along with Martin's work and future LADNA projects.

Greg Edwards collaborated with Chris Pitman, Brad Laner, and Paul D'Amour in psychedelic pop ensemble Lusk, releasing their album Free Mars in 1997. In 2000, Edwards co-founded Autolux alongside Eugene Goreshter and Carla Azar. Their self-produced EP Demonstration (2001) attracted producer T Bone Burnett’s attention, leading to a Sony BMG contract and Burnett producing their critically praised debut album Future Perfect (2004). Autolux supported Nine Inch Nails on their 2005 North American arena tour and worked with British group Unkle on their 2007 release War Stories. Their sophomore album Transit Transit was issued in 2010 after several delays.

Following Failure's split, Kellii Scott joined Blinker the Star before contributing drums to Campfire Girls’ 2003 album Tell Them Hi. He also worked on Robt Ptak's solo project Artificial Joy and by 2005 was performing with Veruca Salt and Enemy. In 2008, Scott’s band The Brontosaur debuted a self-titled record. From 2008 through 2012 he participated in recording sessions led by Linda Perry for artists including Christina Aguilera and Courtney Love. In 2013, Scott collaborated with Dr. Dre and a full orchestra at Capitol Studios for an upcoming project.

Troy Van Leeuwen resurfaced as part of A Perfect Circle's debut album Mer De Noms (2000) before joining Queens of the Stone Age during sessions for APC's second record Thirteenth Step (2003). He has maintained his role with Queens of the Stone Age since touring for their 2002 release Songs for the Deaf. Van Leeuwen also leads Enemy; their debut album Hooray for Dark Matter was released in October 2005. In 2008 he formed Sweethead alongside vocalist Serrina Sims; members included Norm Block and Eddie Nappi. Sims provided backing vocals on Queens of the Stone Age’s track "Make It wit Chu" from their 2007 album Era Vulgaris.

In 2004, Andrews and Edwards compiled a CD/DVD package entitled Golden, featuring demos, outtakes, tour footage, and videos documenting Failure’s active years. A two-disc anthology called Essentials followed in 2006 containing selections from studio albums and early singles. A tribute compilation titled A Tribute to Failure: The Nurse Who Loved Me was released in 2008. Warner Bros issued a double LP edition of Fantastic Planet for the first time in 2010; starting in 2011 ORG Music began releasing vinyl versions of Magnified and Comfort, although Magnified’s release was postponed until late 2013. Limited vinyl pressings of Fantastic Planet commanded high resale values online. In 2016, as part of a pledge campaign connected to The Heart Is A Monster, Failure reissued vinyl editions of Fantastic Planet.

2013–2017: Reunion, Tree of Stars, and The Heart is a Monster

Failure reunited in late 2013, bringing back the "classic lineup" of Greg Edwards, Ken Andrews, and Kellii Scott. Their first live appearance since 1997 took place at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles on February 13, 2014. Tickets sold out in less than five minutes, indicating a surge in interest compared to their popularity in the 1990s. Following this, the band served as the opening act for Tool during their tour.

After completing the initial leg of touring, Failure launched the "Tree of Stars" tour across May and June 2014, performing 18 shows. Alongside this tour, they released an exclusive EP titled Tree of Stars, which included four live recordings and their first new track since Fantastic Planet, called "Come Crashing." The single "The Focus" followed in July 2014. Late that year, they commenced work on their fourth studio album, marking their first new full-length project in over eighteen years.

On March 30, 2015, Failure revealed plans for their fourth album, The Heart Is a Monster, comprising 18 tracks and set for release on June 30 via INgrooves. The announcement was accompanied by the debut of the single "Hot Traveler" at SXSW. Although Troy Van Leeuwen did not officially rejoin the group, he contributed guitar parts on several songs and participated in their October 2015 tour.

In 2016, Failure announced an October tour dedicated to performing Fantastic Planet in its entirety to celebrate its 20th anniversary. They also intended to release a live album from recordings made during this series of concerts. On December 8, 2017, PIAS Recordings acquired Failure’s albums originally released through Slash Records as part of Warner Music Group’s divestment of artist catalogs to independent labels.

2018–present: In the Future... EP/LP Releases and Wild Type Droid

On March 14, 2018, Failure unveiled plans for a set of four EPs starting with In the Future released on March 30. The following EPs—Your Body Will Be (May 25), The Furthest Thing (September 14), and From Your Mind—were combined into the full-length album titled In the Future Your Body will Be the Furthest Thing from Your Mind, which was released on November 16, 2018. To support this album, Failure embarked on a co-headlining tour with Swervedriver across 29 cities from March to April 2019.

Previously, Failure had successfully crowdfunded projects such as their 2015 album The Heart is a Monster and the live album Fantastic Planet Live in 2016 via PledgeMusic. However, in March 2019 they revealed that they had not received payments from a similar campaign for In The Future... due to PledgeMusic’s bankruptcy declared in May 2019. Ken Andrews noted that while artists signed to major labels were reimbursed, independent acts like Failure were left uncompensated.

On December 16, 2019, Failure announced a vinyl box set titled Failure 1992–1996, which compiled their albums Comfort, Magnified, and Fantastic Planet. Plans for supporting residency shows in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City during 2020 were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On July 3, 2020, Failure issued a re-recorded version of Depeche Mode’s "Enjoy the Silence" named "Enjoy the Silence 2020" via Bandcamp. This track was originally recorded for a tribute album in 1998 but had since been removed from streaming services.

By December 2021, Failure transitioned their digital distribution entirely to Bandcamp for all releases previously managed by Ingrooves and Slash Records. On February 1, 2022, they announced withdrawing their catalog from Spotify citing concerns about COVID-related misinformation policies and artist compensation; albums distributed through Rhino Records remained accessible.

Ken Andrews disclosed in April 2021 that the band was developing new material. Their sixth studio album, titled Wild Type Droid, was released on December 3, 2021. A North American tour to promote the album was scheduled for June and July of 2022. At the opening show of this tour, a documentary featuring archival interviews dating back to 2016 was previewed; production footage was delivered to Failure as of 2023.

The concert film We Are Hallucinations, documenting performances from the Wild Type Droid tour, premiered on Veeps on December 15, 2022, followed by a Blu-ray release on July 6, 2023.

Musical style

Failure is chiefly categorized under alternative rock, art rock, space rock, post-grunge, and alternative metal. Nevertheless, in December 2021, Edwards suggested that upcoming projects might move away from the space rock elements. The band's sound is notably shaped by influences such as the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and the Cure, rather than later acts like Nirvana.

Band members

Current lineup

• Ken Andrews – vocals, guitar, bass (1990–1997, 2014–present); keyboards (2014–present)
• Greg Edwards – bass, guitar (1990–1997, 2014–present); piano, keyboards (1995–1997, 2014–present); drums (1993)
• Kellii Scott – drums (1993–1997, 2014–present)

Past members

• Robert Gauss – drums (1990–1993)
• Troy Van Leeuwen – guitar (1996–1997)

Timeline

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Studio albums

• Comfort (1992)
• Magnified (1994)
• Fantastic Planet (1996)
• The Heart Is a Monster (2015)
• In the Future Your Body Will Be the Furthest Thing from Your Mind (2018)
• Wild Type Droid (2021)

Compilation albums

• Golden (2004)
• Essentials (2006)
• 1992–1996 (2020)

Live albums

• Fantastic Planet Live (2017)
• We Are Hallucinations (2023)

Extended plays

• Tree of Stars (2014)
• In the Future (2018)
• Your Body Will Be (2018)
• The Furthest Thing (2018)
• From Your Mind (2018)

Concert films

• We Are Hallucinations (2023)

Singles

• "Count My Eyes"/"Comfort" (1991)
• "Pro-Catastrophe"/"Dipped In Anger" (1991)
• "Empty Friend" [Promo] (1994)
• "Moth" [Promo] (1994)
• "Stuck on You" (1996)
• "Pitiful" [Promo] (1996)
• "Saturday Savior" [Promo] (1996)
• "Solaris 2014"/"Shrine" (2014)
• "The Focus" (2014)
• "Hot Traveler" (2015)
• "Mulholland Dr." (2015)
• "Enjoy the Silence 2020" (2020)
• "Headstand" (2021)
• "Submarines" (2021)
• "Waiting Room" (2022)

Music videos

• "Undone" from Magnified
• "Stuck on You" from Fantastic Planet
• "Hot Traveler" from The Heart Is a Monster
• "Counterfeit Sky" from The Heart Is a Monster
• "Dark Speed" from In the Future Your Body Will Be the Furthest Thing from Your Mind
• "Headstand" from Wild Type Droid