5 Landmark Albums from Phoenix Bands in 2007

In 2007, Arizona local music fans could be found darkening the doors of long-gone venues like The Sets in Tempe, where local bands would hand out flyers featuring MySpace URLs. We took a look back at the scene a decade later to spotlight some of our favorite albums from local bands that dropped in 2007.

The Maine
Stay Up, Get Down EP
Top Track: “Count ’Em One, Two, Three”
The Maine released this debut EP only a few months after forming the band, and they came out swinging. Polished and precise, the band’s sound was endlessly catchy and lyrics were anthem-ready. Fearless Records signed them soon after and they released another EP, The Way We Talk, that December.

Where Are They Now? The band’s sixth studio album, Lovely Little Lonely, was released in April on their own label, 8123 Records. The Maine will play it front to back at a headlining show at The Van Buren on Wednesday, November 22. Tickets are available for $26 to $40 via Ticketfly.

Raining & OK
The Devil On Your Shoulder
Top Track: “When You See Me”
The Devil on Your Shoulder was the debut album from the young East Valley band. “I’m proud that we came out of the gate with a full-length record to show what we could do,” singer Trevor James Tillery says. He recalls a scene where they could play sweeping, Coldplay-inspired rock in front of pop punk fans of The Maine or screamo fans of Greeley Estates and always be accepted.

Where Are They Now? Tillery moved to Nashville. He has been releasing solo music for the last few years, including the 2016 EP In Moonlight. His new debut full-length, Together.Alone, dropped recently.
Source Victoria
The Fast Escape
Top Track: “Until We Crack”
From the first melancholy notes of “The Welcoming,” Source Victoria set the tone for a brooding and beautiful debut album. Buzzy guitars sour beneath Brendan Murphy’s gravely vocals, and down-tempo tracks like “Burn the Pianos” are fully entrancing.

Where Are They Now? They released a follow-up in 2011 called Slow Luck and celebrated with a release show at Crescent Ballroom. Drummer Scott Hessel now tours with The Gin Blossoms.

Jimmy Eat World
Chase This Light
Top Track: “Always Be”
Jimmy Eat World’s sixth album followed 2004’s decidedly dark Futures. The band brought on executive producer Butch Vig (Garbage, Nirvana) and took almost a year to record. They chased a “light” indeed, opting for brighter riffs and more poppy jangle to accompany optimistic lyrics. The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200 charts.

Where Are They Now? They released their ninth studio album, Integrity Blues, in 2016. They spent the better part of this year touring in support of it, including a summer run with Incubus.

Dear and the Headlights
Small Steps, Heavy Hooves
Top Track: “Sweet Talk”
After gaining a local following and putting sampler CDs into as many hands as possible, Dear and the Headlights were signed to Equal Vision Records to release a debut LP. The band’s sound was as gigantic as their live shows, with gospel synths over raging guitars and singer Ian Metzger’s unique Americana drawl. Ed Thompson from IGN says it’s “one of those albums that I could listen to over and over again and hear something new every time.”

Where Are They Now? Metzger and drummer Mark Kulvinskas started a new band, The Gentle Hits, with James Mulhern (What Laura Says) and Wayne Jones (Twin Ponies). They released their self-titled debut last year.

Editor's note: This post has been updated from its original version.