Chew Lips

Career

A trio called Chew Lips got together in London during the summer of 2008, made up of Huertas, Watkins, and Sanderson. The French label Kitsuné picked up on them and put out their first single, "Solo," in March 2009. It sold out fast and got a lot of praise from indie blogs; Pitchfork called it "classic, pristine," and The Fly said it was one of the year's most impressive debuts. Kitsuné followed with a second single, "Salt Air," in July 2009, which NME described as an addictive, heart-wrenching disco-pop track. That same summer, the band started recording their first album, Unicorn, with producer David Kosten, who had worked with Bat For Lashes. They released the album themselves in January 2010, and it got good notices from the BBC and NME, plus a four-out-of-five review from The Guardian. After that, they toured a lot, playing European festivals and SXSW in Texas, where Elle US named them the festival's best new act. They also headlined the BBC Introducing Stage at Glastonbury. Other live shows included supporting The Killers, Delphic, We Are Scientists, The Virgins, Joy Formidable, and Howling Bells, along with three UK tours and a European tour in 2011. In 2015, Huertas tweeted that she was only writing songs for other artists, which suggested Chew Lips had split up.