Dumb Numbers is the musical project of Adam Harding. Harding selects musicians for each Dumb Numbers project from a large group of friends and collaborators.” Lou Barlow, Dale Crover, Bobb Bruno (of

Best Coast Best Coast is an American rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 2009. The band consists of songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Bethany Cosentino and guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. Cosentino, a former child actress, began ...

) and others contributed to the first two studio albums. A genre-defying act, Dumb Numbers musical style has been described variously as

doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * ...

sludge Sludge is a semi-solid slurry that can be produced from a range of industrial processes, from water treatment, wastewater treatment or on-site sanitation systems. For example, it can be produced as a settled suspension obtained from conventional ...

, and "swooning feedback pop," however there is general agreement that none of these labels are definitive.

History

Harding's native country is Australia. He began making music in the mid-90's. Prior to the debut of Dumb Numbers, Harding was better-known as a videographer (having directed music videos for

DJ Shadow Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ, songwriter and record producer. His debut studio album, '' Endtroducing.....'' was released in 1996. Biography Early years (1989–1995) DJ Sh ...

, Warpaint,

Swervedriver Swervedriver are an English alternative rock band formed in Oxford in 1989 around core members Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge. Between 1989 and 1998, the band released four studio albums and numerous EPs and singles despite a considerable ...

Sebadoh Sebadoh () is an American indie rock band formed in 1986 in Northampton, Massachusetts, by Eric Gaffney and Lou Barlow, with multi-instrumentalist Jason Loewenstein completing the line-up in 1989. Barlow co-created Sebadoh as an outlet for hi ...

, Lou Barlow, and

Magic Dirt Magic Dirt are an Australian rock band, which formed in 1991 in Geelong, Victoria, with Daniel Herring on guitar, Adam Robertson on drums, Adalita Srsen on vocals and guitar, and Dean Turner on bass guitar. Initially forming an alternative u ...

). The self-titled Debut was released on Joyful Noise Recordings in August 2013, with the single ("Redrum") premiering in the AV Club and in InSound's weekly mixtape. The video for "Redrum", directed by

David Yow David Yow (born August 2, 1960) is an American musician and actor born in Las Vegas, Nevada and best known as the vocalist for the noise rock bands Scratch Acid and the Jesus Lizard. Yow's debut solo album, '' Tonight You Look Like a Spider'', w ...

, premiered in Rolling Stone, and Spin the following month. Reviews of the album were generally positive, citing an atavistic and primal indie-rock sound. Since that time, Dumb Numbers II, the Stranger EP, and numerous other side-projects and singles have been released. In addition to his work on Dumb Numbers, Harding also plays in the super-group Kidbug.

Personnel

The list of personnel involved with Dumb Numbers include, but is not exclusive to: Adam Harding, Murph (of

Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984, originally simply called Dinosaur until legal issues forced a change in name. The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter), Lou Barlo ...

), Bonnie Mercer ( Warpaint,

Swans Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Someti ...

), Steve Patrick (Useless Children,

), Lou Barlow (of

Folk Implosion The Folk Implosion is an American band founded in the early 1990s by Lou Barlow and John Davis. It was initially a side-project started by Barlow to explore different territory than that being canvassed with his primary band at the time, Sebadoh. ...

et al), Dale Crover (of Melvins, Altamont,

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

), Toshi Kasai (of Deaf Nephews Studio in Los Angeles),

(of

Scratch Acid Scratch Acid was an Austin, Texas noise rock group formed in 1982. One of the pioneers of noise rock in the 1980s, the band is best remembered as a stepping stone for its front man David Yow, and bass player David Wm. Sims, both later of The Jesu ...

The Jesus Lizard The Jesus Lizard is an American rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas and based in Chicago, Illinois. They were "a leading noise rock band in the American independent underground… hoturned out a series of independent records filled with ...

, Qui, Flipper), Bobb Bruno (of

), Thor Harris (

, Thor & Friends),

Jenny Lee Lindberg Jennifer Lee Lindberg (born July 30, 1981) is an American musician, singer-songwriter and record producer, best known as the bassist of the indie rock band Warpaint. In 2015, Lindberg released her first solo album, '' Right On!'', under the name ...

( Warpaint) and others. David Lynch ( Blue Velvet,

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 for ...

) did the cover art for the first LP and Malcolm Bucknall provided artwork for the second album. Lynch and Harding released a seven inch split together on Joyful Noise Recordings in 2015.

( Jesus Lizard) directed a video for the debut album's single which appeared at

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Touring

The band's roster for live shows fluctuates depending upon the touring schedule of members. Personnel who consistently appear onstage during Dumb Numbers shows include Harding, Murph (of

), Bonnie Mercer, and Steve Patrick. Dumb Numbers toured with

the Lemonheads The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily, and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member. After their initial punk-influenced releases and tour ...

, My Bloody Valentine, and

during the latter half of 2013. Reports of the band's live performances on tour were positive. According to the Brooklyn Vegan, "Their sludgy, doom went over pretty good."

References

{{Authority control Supergroups (music) Indie rock musical groups from California American noise rock music groups Musical groups established in 2012 Joyful Noise Recordings artists 2012 establishments in California