Ex-Easter Island Head (sometimes abbreviated as EEIH) is an English

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

collective formed in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

in 2009. Led by founding member Benjamin D. Duvall, the quartet currently includes Duvall, Benjamin Fair, Jonathan Hering, and Andrew PM Hunt. They perform

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

music using prepared tabletop guitars—standard electric guitars modified and laid flat for

percussive A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

use—to explore rhythm, texture, and repetition through deliberately limited means. The group began with a minimal setup involving two tabletop guitars and has gradually expanded its instrumentation while remaining focused on mechanical and percussive sound sources. Over time, they have incorporated additional

preparations ''Preparations'' is a studio album by Prefuse 73. It was released on Warp Records in 2007. Unlike the 2006 EP ''Security Screenings'', ''Preparations'' is considered the proper follow-up to the 2005 album ''Surrounded by Silence (album), Surroun ...

and playing techniques, maintaining an emphasis on hands-on, physical methods of sound production. This approach informs both their recorded output and live performances. Their music draws on late 20th-century

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

traditions, particularly the repetitive structures of

minimalism In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...

and the raw textures associated with

no wave No wave was an avant-garde music genre and visual art scene that emerged in the late 1970s in Downtown New York City. The term was a pun based on the rejection of commercial new wave music. Reacting against punk rock's recycling of rock and r ...

. These influences shaped the group's early identity as an ensemble focused on performing composed works. Over time, however, they shifted towards a more band-like format, placing greater emphasis on collective interplay and live performance. In discussing the group's approach, writer and comedian

Stewart Lee Stewart Graham Lee (born 5 April 1968) is an English comedian. His stand-up routine is characterised by repetition, internal reference, and deadpan delivery. Lee began his career in 1989 and formed the comedy duo Lee and Herring with Richard ...

described them as "experimental music presented as entertainment"—a remark that highlights the group's focus on making structurally ambitious music engaging and approachable, both in sound and in performance. While remaining outside the mainstream, Ex-Easter Island Head has established a presence within experimental and alternative music circles. Their releases have featured on year-end lists in ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...

'', ''

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...

'', and ''

Loud and Quiet ''Loud and Quiet'' is a British bi-monthly music magazine that focuses on new music from underground indie, alternative, electronic and hip hop artists. History and profile The magazine was founded in January 2005 by Stuart Stubbs as a home-print ...

'', and have received coverage in publications including ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'', '' Uncut'', and '' The Skinny''. The group's live performances have been reviewed in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' and ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', while '' Prog'' magazine described them as a "word-of-mouth sensation." In a 2024 feature, ''The Guardian'' wrote that the band had spent the past 15 years "making some of the boldest experiments in

British music Throughout the history of the British Isles, the land that is now the United Kingdom has been a major music producer, drawing inspiration from church music and traditional folk music, using instruments from England, Scotland, Northern Irelan ...

." Their album '' Norther'' (2024) was placed at number one in ''

'' Albums of the Year list.

Origin of the name

Ex-Easter Island Head was named by Benjamin Duvall, who stated it has no particular meaning, recalling in a 2012 interview with ''The Wire'' that he could not remember how he came up with it. He later added that he liked how the words looked written down and found the name unique. However, in a 2013 interview with ''The Quietus'', Duvall suggested that the name may have been subconsciously influenced by the band's exposure to South Pacific music, particularly the

field recordings Field recording is the production of audio recordings outside recording studios, and the term applies to recordings of both natural and human-produced sounds. It can also include the recording of electromagnetic fields or vibrations using dif ...

ethnomusicologist Ethnomusicology is the multidisciplinary study of music in its cultural context. The discipline investigates social, cognitive, biological, comparative, and other dimensions. Ethnomusicologists study music as a reflection of culture and investiga ...

David Fanshawe David Arthur Fanshawe (19 April 1942 – 5 July 2010) was an English composer and self-styled explorer with a fervent interest in world music.''The Times'' obituary 9 July 2010. His best-known composition is the 1972 choral work '' African Sanct ...

, who documented the region's musical traditions. Moai_liverpool

Duvall has also noted a retrospective connection to Moai Hava, a rare Easter Island statue that went on display at Liverpool's

World Museum World Museum is a large museum in Liverpool, England which has extensive collections covering archaeology, ethnology and the natural and physical sciences. Special attractions include the Natural History Centre and a planetarium. Entry to the ...

in 2011, two years after the band's formation. He explained that the name "Ex-Easter Island Head" could imply removal or destruction, referencing Moai Hava, which was taken by the British in 1868 during a period of decline on

Rapa Nui Easter Island (, ; , ) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is renowned for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, ...

due to slavery, disease, and conflict. The band later dedicated a piece titled 'Music For Moai Hava' to the statue on their second release.

Musical style and influences

Musical style

The group's

instrumental music An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer t ...

spans a range of styles, with later albums often shifting noticeably between tracks. They have been described in terms of

, and

gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...

—genres that also served as key influences on their music. Additional descriptions include

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

ambient Ambient or ambiance or ambience may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ambiancé'', an unreleased experimental film * ''Ambient'' (novel), a novel by Jack Womack Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgr ...

drone Drone or The Drones may refer to: Science and technology Vehicle * Drone, a type of uncrewed vehicle, a class of robot ** Unmanned aerial vehicle or aerial drone *** Unmanned combat aerial vehicle ** Unmanned ground vehicle or ground drone ** Unma ...

, electroacoustic,

krautrock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It originated among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electron ...

post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...

, and

avant-rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...

. Their music has also been likened to the styles of bands like

Battles A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

, Liars,

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Founding members Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (lead guitar, vocals) and Lee Ranaldo (rhythm guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of ...

, and

Slint Slint was an American Rock music, rock band from Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky, formed in 1986 after the dissolution of two local bands, Squirrel Bait and Maurice. It initially consisted of guitarist-vocalist Brian McMahan, guitaris ...

, as well as to "more

inclinations of performers such as

Bang on a Can Bang on a Can is a multi-faceted contemporary classical music organization based in New York City. It was founded in 1987 by three American composers who remain its artistic directors: Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Michael Gordon. Called "the c ...

Sō Percussion Sō Percussion is a Grammy winning American percussion quartet formed in 1999 and based in New York City. Composed of Josh Quillen, Adam Sliwinski, Jason Treuting, and Eric Cha-Beach, the group is well known for recording and touring internationa ...

." In a 2015 interview with ''

'' ahead of the release of '' Twenty-Two Strings'', Jon Hering acknowledged the description of the group's music as "

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

imagined by

rock musicians Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

," adding that "there's definitely an element of truth in that." He also spoke about the group's independent approach to composition and musical tradition:

Influences

Duvall has cited Liverpool's experimental music scene as a key influence on the group's use of tabletop guitars. After seeing a local

noise Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...

performance where guitars were laid flat to produce feedback, he began exploring how similar setups could be used to create tonal, structured music. He also named Liverpool-based group a.P.A.t.T. as "an inspiration for anyone attempting something different," contrasting them with the city's more typical indie rock acts. In an interview with ''The Wire'', Duvall cited the guitar-based works of

pioneers

Rhys Chatham Rhys Chatham (born September 19, 1952) is an American composer, guitarist, trumpet player, multi-instrumentalist (flutes in C, alto and bass, keyboard), primarily active in avant-garde and minimalist music. He is best known for his "guitar orche ...

and

Glenn Branca Glenn Branca (October 6, 1948 – May 13, 2018) was an American avant-garde music, avant-garde composer, guitarist, and luthier. Known for his use of volume, scordatura, alternative guitar tunings, minimal music, repetition, drone (music), dronin ...

as a starting point for the group's sound, aiming to "downplay the rock element to create a mixture of the band dynamic and a chamber ensemble." He also noted the influence of

minimalist In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...

composer

Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer best known as a pioneer of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, and canons. Reich descr ...

's ensemble writing, while highlighting a preference for "a swing that we like… a certain latency that gives it a human characteristic," drawing comparisons to

indigenous music Indigenous music is a term for the traditional music of the indigenous peoples of the world, that is, the music of an "original" ethnic group that inhabits any geographic region alongside more recent immigrants who may be greater in number. The ter ...

of the South Pacific. Indonesian

gamelan music Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. The most common instruments used are metallophones (played with mal ...

has also shaped the group's approach, particularly its use of ensemble-specific tuning. This informed their interest in creating a self-contained "sound world," with guitars and percussion tuned to emphasise overall tonal coherence rather than conventional melodic structures. On their 2024 album '' Norther'', the group cited influences including the evolving structures of

The Necks The Necks are an Australian avant-garde jazz trio formed in 1987 by founding mainstays Chris Abrahams on piano and Hammond organ, Tony Buck (musician), Tony Buck on drums, percussion and electric guitar, and Lloyd Swanton on bass guitar and dou ...

, the rhythmic focus of artists on the

Kompakt Kompakt ( Labelcode: LC 12012) is a Cologne-based electronic music independent record label and vinyl/CD distributor, owned by Wolfgang Voigt, Michael Mayer and Jürgen Paape. They specialize in microhouse and minimal techno, and are known ...

label, and the aeolian sound explorations of

Max Eastley Max Eastley (born 1 December 1944, Torquay, Devon, England) is a British visual and sound artist. He is part of the Cape Farewell Climate Change project. He studied painting and graphic art at Newton Abbot Art School and then went on to gain a BA ...

Critical reception

The collective gained critical acclaim with a trio of ''Mallet Guitars'' recordings (2010–2013). Over these releases, the band evolved from striking the bodies of guitars with

mallets A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. General overview The term is descriptive of the ...

to resonate the strings, to introducing third bridges and playing the divided strings with bamboo sticks, and then further incorporating these techniques–refined through extensive playing–alongside

bowing Bowing (also called stooping) is the act of lowering the torso and Human head, head as a social gesture in direction to another person or symbol. It is most prominent in Asian cultures but it is also typical of nobility and aristocracy in many E ...

the strings with Allen keys and using additional preparations. Consequently, ''Mallet Guitars One'' (2011) and ''Mallet Guitars Three'' (2013) were named among the best

avant rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...

of their respective years by ''

''. Meanwhile, ''Mallet Guitars Two / Music For Moai Hava'' (2012) was featured in '' Pitchfork's'' New Best Music category. Their latest album, '' Norther'' (2024), was ranked first in

' Top 100 Albums of the Year 2024, and placed fourth on

's year-end list.

Discography

Studio albums

* Mallet Guitars Trilogy: ** ''Mallet Guitars One'' (Low Point, 2010) ** ''Mallet Guitars Two / Music for Moai Hava'' (Low Point, 2012) ** ''Mallet Guitars Three'' (Low Point, 2013) * '' Large Electric Ensemble'' (Low Point, 2014) * '' Twenty-Two Strings'' (Low Point, 2016) * '' Norther'' (Rocket Recordings, 2024)

Singles

* "Two Commissions for Cassette Tape" (Tombed Visions, 2014) * "Lodge" (not on label, 2020) * "Norther" (Rocket Recordings, 2024)

Collaborations

* ''Whistling Arrow'' (God Unknown Records, 2019) — recorded under the moniker Whistling Arrow, featuring Charles Hayward, Laura Cannell and André Bosman as collaborators

Production and library music

* ''Mechanical Landscapes Vol. 1'' (

KPM Music KPM Music is a company that creates and provides library music that was originally known as KPM Musichouse. It was formed by the merger of KPM (the initials of Keith-Prowse-Maurice, which was then a division of EMI) and Music House (a company th ...

, 2020) * ''Mechanical Landscapes Vol. 2'' (KPM Music, 2020)

Music videos

* "Six Sticks" (2016), from the album ''Twenty-Two Strings'' * "Twenty-Two Strings" (2017), from the album ''Twenty-Two Strings'' * "Sixteen Snares" (2017), from the album ''Twenty-Two Strings'' * "Norther" (2024), from the album ''Norther'' * "Magnetic Language" (2024), from the album ''Norther''

References

External links

* * *
Ex-Easter Island Head
at Rocket Recordings
Meet Ex-Easter Island Head
at

Museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

Sessions (May 2024)
Ex-Easter Island Head NTS Live at Church Of Sound
(October 2016)
''Bido Lito!'' (Issue 69)
– Cover feature on Ex-Easter Island Head (August 2016)
Stream Ex-Easter Island Head tracks
on

(August 2012) {{Authority control Musical groups established in 2009 Musical groups from Liverpool English musical quartets Rock music groups from Liverpool English experimental musical groups Avant-garde music groups Minimal music groups English post-rock groups British post-rock groups

Origin of the name

Musical style and influences

Musical style

Influences

Critical reception

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Collaborations

Production and library music

Music videos

See also

References

Further reading

External links