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From a grimy Chicago basement to tours with Wilco and a prime spot on the Polyvinyl roster, a rising indie-rock quartet keeps its focus strictly on the craft of the song.
Riding a tidal wave of mid-2000s momentum—a 10-day Canadian run supporting their friends in Wilco, a prime festival slot at Lollapalooza, a track featured on The O.C., and rave reviews from Spin for their sophomore album, Future Women—Chicago rock outfit The M’s are making serious waves.
Driven by the fiercely independent artistic ethos of bands like Guided by Voices and Sonic Youth, The M’s make music to please themselves first. Fortunately for listeners, the results are brilliant.
Their sonic blueprint blends Beatlesque melody and 1990s-era Blur with a swaggering, gritty garage-rock backbone. Yet Josh Chicoine (vocals, guitar), Robert Hicks (vocals, guitar), Joey King (vocals, bass), and Steve Versaw (drums) have never been interested in easy categorization.
The quartet formed in 2000, jamming in a subterranean Chicago basement without grand ambitions of industry conquest. Cutting a full-length record wasn’t even on the early agenda. Having all paid dues in previous outfits, they knew that if they gave it a serious shot, they would operate strictly within the indie underground.
“The music industry for us was sort of like this weird thing that we didn’t understand, so we didn’t try to understand it,” says Chicoine, a former Champaign resident and 1991 Centennial High School graduate.
The band’s self-titled, self-produced debut on the Brilliante label assembled material from three earlier EPs into a seamless, hook-laden record. From front to back, cuts like “Dirty Old Dog,” “Banishment of Love,” “Holdin’ Up,” and “Maggie” delivered driving rhythms layered with three-part vocal harmonies.
Expanding the Palette on Future Women
Their latest release, Future Women—issued by Champaign’s own Polyvinyl Record Co.—builds on that melodic foundation while casting a much wider musical net. Listeners have noted sonic echoes ranging from the dance-punk pulse of The Faint to the glam-rock strut of Mott the Hoople and the intricate arrangements of Steely Dan.
Chicoine and his bandmates welcome the diverse comparisons; chasing micro-trends or fitting into a specific scene has never crossed their minds. Looking ahead, Chicoine hints that the group may explore less guitar-heavy territory, leaning into expansive, instrumentally adventurous arrangements.
“It’s the song that matters more than anything,” says Chicoine, who splits songwriting and vocal duties equally with Hicks, King, and Versaw.
The band’s three-part vocal attack has earned praise across unexpected generations. Chicoine’s aunt, a classically trained vocalist and pianist, offered high marks for the tight harmonies woven throughout Future Women. His mother, Marcia, while not always enamored with the blown-out fuzz guitars and buried vocal textures that define the band’s sound, admits it is a thrill watching her son command the stage.
Finding Home on the Road
With Chicoine and his wife, Laura, expecting their first child, the band is gearing up for a well-earned breather.
Relaxing inside Murphy’s Pub on Green Street ahead of an August 26 gig at the Illini Union, Chicoine reflects on longevity. He sees no reason The M’s couldn’t keep cutting records well into their fifties—provided the songs remain strong, the recordings sound vibrant, and the process stays fun.
Keeping a healthy distance between their art and the cynical machinery of the music business remains their north star.
The M’s have already crossed the country three times in support of their catalog, sharing bills and wild nights with Polyvinyl labelmates Of Montreal along the East Coast. Yet for Chicoine, the ultimate reward of life on the road is reconnecting with familiar faces in rooms like the Illini Union.
“This is my hometown,” Chicoine says, looking out toward campus. “It’s always a blast to come back down here and play in front of my friends. I see people all across the country that I grew up with and went to high school with. That’s what makes touring worthwhile.”