About The Fray
The Fray is an American rock band from Denver, Colorado, formed in 2002 by schoolmates Isaac Slade and Joe King. Their debut studio album, How to Save a Life was released by Epic Records and received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America , as well as platinum certification in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Its release was supported by their first hit single, "Over My Head ", which peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. The band saw their furthest success with the song's follow-up, "How to Save a Life", which peaked at number three on the chart and was also a hit in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Both songs received Grammy Award nominations: Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group, respectively.
The group's self-titled second album debuted atop the Billboard 200, and received platinum certification by the RIAA, and gold certification in Australia and Canada. Led by their third top ten single, "You Found Me", the album also received a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. While both albums were commercially successful, critical reception was generally mixed. The Fray was ranked No. 84 on Billboard's Artists of the Decade list. Their third and fourth albums, Scars & Stories and Helios were both met with continued mixed reception and trailing commercial response, peaking at numbers four and eight on the Billboard 200, respectively. The band's greatest hits album, Through the Years: The Best of the Fray served as their final release with Epic. Slade left the band before the release of their 2024 single "Time Well Wasted", which also served as their first release without a major label.
The Fray's mood has been described as austere, theatrical, cinematic, poignant, and ethereal; their lyrical content is based around introspection, with themes of yearning, regret, and angst. The band's use of the piano as the lead instrument in their music has led critics to compare the band with similar British bands such as Coldplay and Keane. The band lists its influences as Counting Crows, Better Than Ezra, and U2.
The band members' musical lives were largely formed in Denver area churches where they helped lead worship, and in the Christian school three of them attended. Isaac Slade and guitarist Joe King were several years ahead of drummer Ben Wysocki at Faith Christian Academy. Wysocki and guitarist David Welsh played in the same worship band. In the spring of 2002, former schoolmates Slade and King reconnected and began regular two-man jam sessions that led to writing songs. Slade and King later added Mike Ayars on guitar, Zach Johnson on drums, and Slade's younger brother Caleb on bass, though Caleb was later asked to leave. Caleb's departure from the band caused a rift in his relationship with Isaac, and this rift later became the inspiration for the song "Over My Head ", which is about the brothers' waning relationship. Following this Johnson left the band to attend an art school in New York.
Ben Wysocki, a former bandmate of Isaac Slade, joined as drummer and later, Dave Welsh, who was another former bandmate of Slade and Wysocki, was added as lead guitarist to the band. The newly formed band was named the Fray. The band members decided on a name after asking people to put band names on a piece of paper from which they picked randomly. The members of the band first claimed that they found the name suitable because they frequently quarreled about the composition of the lyrics in their songs, but they have since stated they are usually on good terms while composing music and acknowledge contributions from all members. The band has had no permanent bassist since Caleb, instead employing touring bassists on a temporary basis. The current bassist is Dane Poppin, who has been touring with the band since 2022.
The band released its first record, Movement EP, in 2002. The next year, the band released Reason EP produced by "How To Save A Life" co-producer Aaron Johnson, which garnered the band local fame and acclaim. Westword, an alternative newsweekly, gave Reason EP a positive review, stating "The music is epic, no doubt, but it's played on a wholly human scale". Despite these reviews, the band struggled to launch a single; Denver radio station KTCL rejected eight of their songs before the band decided to submit a demo of a song then-named "Cable Car". The song found airplay on a KTCL radio show highlighting local bands, and the radio station received a large number of requests for it soon thereafter. The band changed the name of the song to "Over My Head ", and as the song's airplay increased alongside their local following, the band was voted "Best New Band" by Westword in 2004. Mike Flynn, working in the artists and repertoire division of Epic Records, discovered the band through the article in Westword and soon after, Epic Records officially signed the band on December 17, 2004.
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