Trophy Eyes

An edgy Aussie punk unit based out of Newcastle, Trophy Eyes' potent blend of melodically charged punk-pop and muscular crossover/hardcore made them stars in their homeland and earned them a loyal following in the United States and the United Kingdom. Their songs were built around a fractured guitar sound and John Floreani's fierce vocals on their debut, 2014's Mend, Move On. Over the next several releases, their performances had a greater finesse, and 2018's The American Dream and 2023's Suicide and Sunshine maintained an emotional intensity with a less frenetic impact. Founded in 2013, Trophy Eyes was formed by lead vocalist John Floreani, guitarists Kevin Cross and Andrew Hallett, bassist and backing vocalist Jeremy Winchester, and drummer Callum Cramp. April 2013 saw the new group issue a two-song demo featuring the tracks "Chacho" and "Personal Taste." Just over a year later, they delivered a five-song EP, Everything Goes Away, and they traveled to Thailand to work on their first full-length album with producer Shane Edwards. The LP, Mend, Move On, captured Trophy Eyes' hard-edged sound and the passionate bark of Floreani's vocals; it was issued by Hopeless Records in November 2014. The group toured in support of the release, and were part of the lineup for the 2015 Vans Warped Tour. They returned to Thailand to record their second album with Edwards, Chemical Miracle, which Hopeless released in October 2016; the album showed off a greater refinement in the group's approach, though their punk rock energy was still clearly audible. The band were part of the Vans Warped Tour again in 2017, but in October of that year, drummer Callum Cramp left Trophy Eyes, citing personal conflicts within the group. Blake Caruso took over as percussionist, and in November they released their first single with Caruso behind the kit, "Hurt." Later that month, Trophy Eyes flew to the United States for their first American tour, with Free Throw, Grayscale, and Head North among the opening acts. After another round of recording sessions with Edwards, Trophy Eyes unveiled their third LP, The American Dream, in August 2018, their most melodic effort to date with John Floreani buffing off some of the rough edges of his vocals. In April 2019, the band was tapped to open Bring Me the Horizon's Australian tour; they would be among the last dates Kevin Cross would play with the band, as he amicably dropped out in July 2019. Trophy Eyes opted not to hire a full-time replacement, choosing to continue as a quartet. January 2020 saw the band issuing a new single, "Figure Eight," which found bassist Jeremy Winchester expanding his repertoire by adding saxophone to the track. Between October 2021 and February 2022, Trophy Eyes released three singles -- "27 Club," "Bittersweet," and "Nobody Said" -- as they got in shape for their next round of recording and touring. In February 2023, Andrew Hallett left Trophy Eyes, saying he hoped to spend more time with his family. Guitarist Josh Campiao was brought on board in time for the group's American tour with Against the Current, which kicked off in April 2023. June 2023 brought their fourth album, Suicide and Sunshine; a more mature and polished work, it featured 14 songs co-produced by Shane Edwards and Fletcher Matthews.
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