One of the most renowned American indie rock bands, The Shins have carved a lasting legacy with their distinctive blend of folk, pop, and indie rock. Formed in 1996 by frontman James Mercer, a chance inclusion of “New Slang” in the indie movie classic Garden State helped to take their indie buzz mainstream just as their breakout sophomore album, Chutes Too Narrow, propelled them to indie stardom.

On this episode of The Story Behind the Song, Peter Csathy speaks with The Shins’ James Mercer just after the passing of former The Shins’ bassist Neal Langford to discuss how Neal helped push him to perform, the conception of “New Slang” and also the more recent “Phantom Limb.”

Listen to the full conversation with The Shins James Mercer and more in this episode. Then, make sure to like, review, and subscribe to TSBTS wherever you get podcasts for updates on all our new episodes.

You can keep an eye on the Consequence Podcast Network for updates on all our series, and follow host Peter Csathy on X/Twitter @pcsathy and Deep Cuts Media.

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