The story of Los Angeles duo crushed is written across midnight transmissions and a shared taste for maximalist dream pop. In the early 2010s, Bre Morell, who fronts the band Temple of Angels, hosted a graveyard shift college radio show and used to play music from Shaun Durkan’s former band Weekend. Nearly a decade later, Durkan aired Temple of Angels on his own show; Morell reached out to thank him, and the exchange sparked a long-distance project. They filled an audible moodboard with ‘90s classics from the likes of Natalie Imbruglia, Sneaker Pimps, and The Sundays; songs that transported them back to places of comfort and discovery. These touchpoints provided a palette for crushed to experiment without expectations, purely for the fun of it.

In 2023, they shared their debut EP, extra life. Faithful yet free and fluid in its channeling of golden age alt-rock, Britpop, trip-hop, and electronica, the sound quickly resonated with fans and critics upon initial release. Pitchfork called it “effortless, widescreen dream pop that’s serene without being sentimental,” and NPR cited its “deep sense of place and time.” The music also struck Ghostly International, and the first measure for crushed and their new label home is to give extra life a wider physical release paired with remixes from band favorites Real Lies and DJ Python.