# Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
**Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros** is an American indie folk and rock ensemble formed in 2007 in Los Angeles by [Alex Ebert](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-ebert), frontman of the [dance-punk](https://www.edgepedia.org/dance-punk) band Ima Robot, built around Ebert's messianic alter ego Edward Sharpe. The ten-plus-member collective drew on the communal musical culture of 1960s and early 1970s [Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/southern-california), particularly Laurel Canyon, and became best known for its 2009 single "Home"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-mn0000463037) • [2](https://www.liveone.com/artist/edward-sharpe-and-the-magnetic-zeros/797693).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Formed | 2007, Los Angeles, by Alex Ebert after the dissolution of Ima Robot[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-mn0000463037) • [3](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/315875820) |
| Core concept | Ebert's alter ego Edward Sharpe, a godlike or messianic figure he created while writing a story after ending a relationship and entering rehab[3](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/315875820) • [2](https://www.liveone.com/artist/edward-sharpe-and-the-magnetic-zeros/797693) |
| Biggest hit | "Home" (2009), a duet with Jade Castrinos; number 7 in France and top 10 on the U.S. Adult Alternative chart[2](https://www.liveone.com/artist/edward-sharpe-and-the-magnetic-zeros/797693) |
| Highest-charting album | *Here* (2012), number five on the Billboard 200[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-mn0000463037) |
| Studio albums | *Up from Below* (2009), *Here* (2012), *Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros* (2013), *PersonA* (2016)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-mn0000463037) • [4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/persona-mw0002915642) |
| Last album | *PersonA*, April 15, 2016, recorded with the whole ten-piece band in a single room[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/persona-mw0002915642) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-mn0000463037) |
## Origins and the Edward Sharpe character
After the breakup of Ima Robot, Alex Ebert ended a relationship, entered rehab, and began writing a story about a godlike figure named Edward Sharpe. That character became his stage persona and the identity of the band he assembled[3](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/315875820). Ebert described the alter ego as a figure "sent down to Earth to kinda heal and save mankind ... but he kept getting distracted by girls and falling in love"[5](https://www.independent.com/2012/05/07/edward-sharpe-magnetic-zeros-santa-barbara-bowl/).
Ebert connected with singer [Jade Castrinos](https://www.edgepedia.org/jade-castrinos), and the two became part of a Los Angeles arts community from which the band took shape, swelling to more than ten members. The group's first public performance came in 2009[2](https://www.liveone.com/artist/edward-sharpe-and-the-magnetic-zeros/797693). AllMusic's history of the band traces the concept to the communal musical communities of Southern California in the 1960s and early 1970s, and describes the sound as a mix recalling Parliament, the Polyphonic Spree, Bob Marley, and the Incredible String Band[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-mn0000463037). Critics frequently noted the theatricality of the concept: Pitchfork called the 2009 arrival a "faux-religious-cult gambit" borrowed from the then-dormant Polyphonic Spree[6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16675-here/), and one review of the debut pointed to the painted bus the band drove around Los Angeles and lyrics such as "Run to the desert/ You will be/ All that you need to be"[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-edward-sharpe-and-the-magnetic-zeros-up-from-below-rough-trade-1769361.html).
## Breakthrough: *Up from Below* and "Home"
The band released its debut EP, *Here Comes*, in May 2009, followed by the full-length *Up from Below* in July of that year[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-mn0000463037). *Up from Below* reached number 13 on the Indie album chart and number 76 on the [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) 200[2](https://www.liveone.com/artist/edward-sharpe-and-the-magnetic-zeros/797693).
**"Home"** was the album's defining track. The freewheeling whistling duet between Ebert and Castrinos, which Pitchfork compared to Johnny and [June Carter Cash](https://www.edgepedia.org/june-carter-cash)'s conversational duets, became an international success: it reached the top 10 on the American Adult Alternative chart, number 7 in France, and the top 40 in several other European countries, and it was used in numerous television shows and commercials[2](https://www.liveone.com/artist/edward-sharpe-and-the-magnetic-zeros/797693) • [8](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13852-up-from-below/). Its ubiquity followed the band for years; Ebert later said the only pressure he felt was the repeated suggestion to "write another song like 'Home'"[9](https://americansongwriter.com/on-record-edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/).
Live performance drove the band's early rise. In the summer of 2009 it played Coachella, Sasquatch!, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Bumbershoot, the [Newport Folk Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/newport-folk-festival), and Austin City Limits[10](https://news.pollstar.com/2010/10/15/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/), and it made multiple television appearances on *Late Night with David Letterman*[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-mn0000463037). Reviews of the live shows emphasized their communal quality; at a 2011 London date, dozens of audience members climbed on stage at the finale while Ebert encouraged the anarchy[11](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/edward-sharpe-and-the-magnetic-zeros-old-vic-tunnels-london-2238536.html).
## *Here* and the self-titled album
The second album, *Here*, was released on May 29, 2012 by [Vagrant Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/vagrant-records)[12](https://www.edwardsharpeandthemagneticzerostour.com/discography/). It climbed to number five on the Billboard 200 and also charted in France and Australia[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-mn0000463037). Pitchfork described it as a surprisingly humble, homespun record, much of it sounding as if it could have been recorded by a lone foot-stomping folksinger, with Ebert settling into a relaxed, conversational vocal style[6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16675-here/).
The self-titled third album followed on July 23, 2013, also on Vagrant, and hit the U.S. Top 15[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-mn0000463037) • [13](https://www.allmusic.com/album/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-mw0002548730). Critical response was mixed: its Metacritic Metascore of 61 was based on 21 reviews, of which 7 were positive, 14 mixed, and none negative[14](https://www.metacritic.com/music/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/critic-reviews). The Guardian noted songs bleaker than on the band's previous two albums[14](https://www.metacritic.com/music/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/critic-reviews), while Pitchfork's review criticized the lyrics while calling the arrangements sprightly[15](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18314-edward-sharpe-edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/).
During this period Ebert's extracurricular work drew its own recognition: in 2014 he won a Golden Globe for his score for the 2013 [Robert Redford](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-redford) film *All Is Lost*[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-mn0000463037).
## *PersonA* and the end of the original run
For the fourth LP, *PersonA*, released April 15, 2016 on Community Music/Universal, the band changed its process, gathering the whole ensemble into a single room to write and record together for the first time. Recorded at Piety Street Recording in New Orleans, the 45:13 album carried cover art that redacted "Edward Sharpe and" with red lines, a visual statement that AllMusic read as marking the retirement of the alter ego; the review noted the departure of co-singer Jade Castrinos from the now ten-piece lineup[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/persona-mw0002915642) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-mn0000463037). Apple Music's band profile records that the group last released an album in 2016, and Ebert has pursued solo work and film composing while remaining the band's frontman[3](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/315875820). A live album, *In No Particular Order: 2009-2014*, appeared in 2015[3](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/315875820).
## Sound and reception
The band's style combined low-fi folk, country, gospel, and psychedelic elements with massed group vocals, and its membership fluctuated, with reviews placing the lineup between nine and thirteen players at various times[2](https://www.liveone.com/artist/edward-sharpe-and-the-magnetic-zeros/797693) • [7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-edward-sharpe-and-the-magnetic-zeros-up-from-below-rough-trade-1769361.html). AllMusic classifies the group under indie pop, alternative/indie rock, neo-psychedelia, and indie rock, and lists related acts including [Arcade Fire](https://www.edgepedia.org/arcade-fire), The Polyphonic Spree, Mumford & Sons, and [Fleet Foxes](https://www.edgepedia.org/fleet-foxes)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-mn0000463037).
Reception was consistently divided along the same line. Reviewers praised the live energy and Castrinos's voice, which The Independent called "an electrifying voice" that was a "criminally undervalued asset" on record, while finding much of the studio output sentimental or mannered[16](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-es-tmz-gentlemen-of-the-road-8783764.html). The Independent summed up the 2013 album as "brilliant, frustrating, thrilling and irritating ... exactly what we've come to expect from an Edward Sharpe album"[16](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-es-tmz-gentlemen-of-the-road-8783764.html).
## References
1. [Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-mn0000463037)
2. [Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros profile, LiveOne](https://www.liveone.com/artist/edward-sharpe-and-the-magnetic-zeros/797693)
3. [Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/315875820)
4. [PersonA review and album details, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/persona-mw0002915642)
5. [Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros at the Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara Independent](https://www.independent.com/2012/05/07/edward-sharpe-magnetic-zeros-santa-barbara-bowl/)
6. [Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros: Here Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16675-here/)
7. [Album: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Up from Below, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-edward-sharpe-and-the-magnetic-zeros-up-from-below-rough-trade-1769361.html)
8. [Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros: Up From Below Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13852-up-from-below/)
9. [On Record: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, American Songwriter](https://americansongwriter.com/on-record-edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/)
10. [Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Pollstar News](https://news.pollstar.com/2010/10/15/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/)
11. [Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Old Vic Tunnels, London, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/edward-sharpe-and-the-magnetic-zeros-old-vic-tunnels-london-2238536.html)
12. [Discography, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Tour site](https://www.edwardsharpeandthemagneticzerostour.com/discography/)
13. [Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros album review, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-mw0002548730)
14. [Critic Reviews for Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/critic-reviews)
15. [Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18314-edward-sharpe-edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros/)
16. [Album: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, ES&TMZ, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-es-tmz-gentlemen-of-the-road-8783764.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Rock, indie, and pop groups › Rock bands › Psychedelic and garage rock bands*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license