The Ophelias

After 2018’s Almost opened The Ophelias to a world beyond their Cincinnati home, the indie rock quartet craved a return to community. “It was surreal for this time capsule of songs written in college to be reviewed in outlets like the New York Times,” recalls vocalist/guitarist Spencer Peppet (she/her). The band members no longer lived in the same city — Peppet and bassist Jo Shaffer (they/them) live in NYC, while drummer Mic Adams (he/him) and violinist Andrea Gutmann Fuentes (she/her) remained in Ohio.

In the time since Almost, the band members all graduated from college, Shaffer joined as the new bassist, and Adams came out as transgender and started HRT. So when it came time to record Crocus, The Ophelias focused on the experimental spirit that fueled their first record. Through songs infused with references to the Bible and The Twilight Zone, The Ophelias wring mystic emotion out of the spaces between their past, present, and future.