# Incubus (band)
**Incubus** is an American rock band formed in 1991 in [Calabasas, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/calabasas-california), by tenth-grade classmates [Brandon Boyd](https://www.edgepedia.org/brandon-boyd) (vocals, percussion), [Mike Einziger](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-einziger) (guitar), Alex Katunich, known as Dirk Lance (bass), and José Pasillas (drums).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/incubus-mn0000772745) The band moved from funk- and hip-hop-influenced metal in the mid-1990s to mainstream alternative rock, breaking through with the multi-platinum 1999 album *Make Yourself* and its singles "Pardon Me," "Stellar," and "Drive."[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/incubus-mn0000772745/related) It has sold more than 23 million albums worldwide.[3](https://news.pollstar.com/2025/07/21/caa-signs-incubus/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1991, Calabasas, California, by Boyd, Einziger, Katunich, and Pasillas, high school classmates[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/incubus-mn0000772745) |
| Breakthrough | *Make Yourself* (1999), multi-platinum, with "Drive" becoming their first Top Ten pop hit in 2001[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/incubus-mn0000772745/related) • [4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p13273) |
| Style | A blend of heavy metal, funk, jazz, hip-hop, techno, post-grunge, and alternative rock[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/incubus-mn0000772745/related) |
| Sales | More than 23 million albums worldwide, with multi-platinum and platinum certifications globally[3](https://news.pollstar.com/2025/07/21/caa-signs-incubus/) |
| Current lineup | Brandon Boyd, Mike Einziger, José Pasillas II, Chris Kilmore, and Nicole Row[3](https://news.pollstar.com/2025/07/21/caa-signs-incubus/) |
| Recent work | *Morning View XXIII*, a re-recording of the 2001 album, announced October 2023 and released May 2024[5](https://cdnc.heyzine.com/files/uploaded/d013a75f22e2050f0e08ff934a1f595696a4b52d.pdf) |
## Origins and early years
The band came together in 1991 in the [San Fernando Valley](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-fernando-valley) suburb of Calabasas, where the founding members attended high school together.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/incubus-mn0000772745) A 1995 club review in *Music Connection* described the young group as functioning "as a cohesive unit" with strong ensemble chops.[6](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Music-Connection/90/1995/Music-Connection-1995-03-06.pdf)
Incubus signed to Epic in 1996, and its first major-label release was the six-song EP *Enjoy Incubus* in early 1997, made up of earlier demos revamped in the studio.[7](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/incubus/biography/) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/incubus-mn0000772745) The full-length *S.C.I.E.N.C.E.* followed, drawing its hip-hop flavor from the band's DJ and bassist rather than the singer; AllMusic's review noted that the album's many styles did not always blend perfectly but created a sound that defined the band.[8](https://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10%3Af9ftxqrjldae~T1) DJ Chris Kilmore joined for the 1998 tour behind *S.C.I.E.N.C.E.* and went into the studio with the band for *Make Yourself*.[9](https://portcitydaily.com/arts-and-culture/2023/05/16/from-nu-metal-to-rock-mainstream-incubus-strives-to-keep-things-fresh-3-decades-in/)
## Mainstream breakthrough
**Make Yourself.** The band's third album, released in 1999, went multi-platinum and put Incubus on mainstream radio.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/incubus-mn0000772745/related) Its three singles, "Pardon Me," "Stellar," and "Drive," all charted on Billboard's Alternative Rock charts.[10](https://www.grammy.com/news/hold-wheel-and-drive-incubus-look-back-their-alt-metal-classic-make-yourself-20-years/) By October 2000 the album had reached the 825,000 sales mark, "Pardon Me" had reached No. 3 on Billboard's alternative radio chart, and "Stellar" had peaked at No. 2.[11](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-oct-22-ca-40148-story.html) "Drive" carried the band further, becoming its first Top Ten hit on the pop charts in 2001.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p13273) The exposure came from touring as well as radio: the band played with Korn and [Limp Bizkit](https://www.edgepedia.org/limp-bizkit), opened for [Black Sabbath](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-sabbath) on its reunion tour, and appeared on the 1998 and 2000 Ozzfest tours.[11](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-oct-22-ca-40148-story.html)
**Distance from nu metal.** Despite emerging from the same [Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/southern-california) scene as many nu metal acts, the band rejected the label. In a 2001 interview with *Metal Hammer*, Einziger said, "the whole world of rap-metal is just pathetically ridiculous. It makes me wanna throw up. It's a horrible place to be and we've turned our backs on it completely."[12](https://www.loudersound.com/features/incubus-morning-view-album-interview-2001) Boyd later framed the shift the same way, saying the band "never identified with the macho sound of the late 90's," and credited a long European tour before *Make Yourself* with exposing the band to new sounds that seeped into the record.[13](https://www.lpm.org/music/2019-08-02/incubus-brandon-boyd-we-never-identified-with-the-macho-sound-of-the-late-90s) In a Kerrang! oral history of *Make Yourself*, Boyd and Einziger described the album's approach as creating their own style rather than falling into an existing rock subgenre.[14](https://www.kerrang.com/instead-of-falling-into-some-subgenre-of-rock-we-created-our-own-an-oral-history-of-incubus-make-yourself)
## Morning View and later albums
*Morning View*, the band's fourth album, was recorded after the *Make Yourself* breakthrough and released in 2001; Metal Hammer's retrospective describes it as the record that let the band stand on its own ground as a sensitive alternative to acts such as Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, and Korn.[12](https://www.loudersound.com/features/incubus-morning-view-album-interview-2001) The band spent the next two years on individual pursuits in music, art, film, and literature while working on its sixth album, recorded over a year in Los Angeles and Atlanta.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p13273)
Later studio albums include *Light Grenades* (2006), *If Not Now, When?* (2011), and *8* (2017).[15](https://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/40277.pdf) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/incubus-mn0000772745) For the promotion of *If Not Now, When?*, the band rented a storefront on LaBrea Avenue in Los Angeles and staged a multimedia career retrospective highlighted by four nights of live music.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/incubus-mn0000772745)
## Morning View XXIII and recent activity
In October 2023 the band announced *Morning View XXIII*, a re-recording and relaunch of the 2001 double album, which was released in May 2024.[5](https://cdnc.heyzine.com/files/uploaded/d013a75f22e2050f0e08ff934a1f595696a4b52d.pdf) As promotion, the band returned to the original [Morning View](https://www.edgepedia.org/morning-view) house for a livestream performance that was received well enough that it decided to remake the entire album.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/incubus-mn0000772745) The band's lineup has changed since *Morning View* was first released, and members have said a new member changes the band's dynamics considerably.[16](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/incubus-says-morning-view-tour-181526149.html)
In July 2025 Incubus signed with CAA for agency representation while continuing to celebrate the *Morning View* re-recording.[3](https://news.pollstar.com/2025/07/21/caa-signs-incubus/) The Morning View + The Hits tour, which started in June 2025, continued into 2026 with additional North American dates featuring [Manchester Orchestra](https://www.edgepedia.org/manchester-orchestra), running from a June 25 show at [Bridgestone Arena](https://www.edgepedia.org/bridgestone-arena) in Nashville to an October 4 finale at [Intuit Dome](https://www.edgepedia.org/intuit-dome) in Los Angeles.[17](https://www.ticketmaster.com/incubus-tickets/artist/741166?GCID=0&awtrc=true&tt_scene=anchor_view) • [18](https://www.chaifetzarena.com/assets/doc/Incubus-2025-Morning-View-Tour_FINAL_STL-8eca932aea.pdf)
## Name and other bands called Incubus
The name Incubus has been used by several other groups. A Louisiana band of the same name, formed in 1986 in Metairie by Brazilian-born brothers Francis and Moyses Howard, is a separate act.[19](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/incubus-mn0001913644) The Calabasas band has asserted its trademark in USPTO cancellation proceedings, where it was identified as the American rock band formed in 1991 by Boyd, Einziger, and Pasillas II.[20](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-92074752-CAN-1.pdf)
## References
1. [Incubus Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/incubus-mn0000772745)
2. [Incubus Related, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/incubus-mn0000772745/related)
3. [CAA Signs Incubus, Pollstar News (July 21, 2025)](https://news.pollstar.com/2025/07/21/caa-signs-incubus/)
4. [Incubus Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p13273)
5. [BUFF 004 / Mayo 2025 (fan zine covering the Morning View XXIII announcement)](https://cdnc.heyzine.com/files/uploaded/d013a75f22e2050f0e08ff934a1f595696a4b52d.pdf)
6. [Club Reviews, Music Connection, March 6, 1995](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Music-Connection/90/1995/Music-Connection-1995-03-06.pdf)
7. [Incubus Biography, Universal Music Japan](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/incubus/biography/)
8. [Incubus: S.C.I.E.N.C.E. Tracks & Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10%3Af9ftxqrjldae~T1)
9. [From nu metal to rock mainstream, Incubus strives to keep things fresh 3 decades in, Port City Daily (May 16, 2023)](https://portcitydaily.com/arts-and-culture/2023/05/16/from-nu-metal-to-rock-mainstream-incubus-strives-to-keep-things-fresh-3-decades-in/)
10. [Hold The Wheel And Drive: Incubus Look Back On Their Alt-Metal Classic 'Make Yourself' 20 Years Later, Grammy.com](https://www.grammy.com/news/hold-wheel-and-drive-incubus-look-back-their-alt-metal-classic-make-yourself-20-years/)
11. [They've Become Almost Famous, Los Angeles Times (October 22, 2000)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-oct-22-ca-40148-story.html)
12. [How Incubus fought back against nu metal with Morning View, Metal Hammer / Louder Sound](https://www.loudersound.com/features/incubus-morning-view-album-interview-2001)
13. [Incubus' Brandon Boyd: "We never identified with the macho sound of the late 90's", LPM.org (August 2, 2019)](https://www.lpm.org/music/2019-08-02/incubus-brandon-boyd-we-never-identified-with-the-macho-sound-of-the-late-90s)
14. [An oral history of Incubus' Make Yourself, Kerrang!](https://www.kerrang.com/instead-of-falling-into-some-subgenre-of-rock-we-created-our-own-an-oral-history-of-incubus-make-yourself)
15. [Light Grenades album review, The Baylor Lariat (January 24, 2007)](https://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/40277.pdf)
16. [Incubus Says Morning View Tour Is a 'Departure From the Way People Listen to Music', Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/incubus-says-morning-view-tour-181526149.html)
17. [Incubus Tickets, Ticketmaster](https://www.ticketmaster.com/incubus-tickets/artist/741166?GCID=0&awtrc=true&tt_scene=anchor_view)
18. [Incubus 2025 Morning View + The Hits tour press release, Chaifetz Arena](https://www.chaifetzarena.com/assets/doc/Incubus-2025-Morning-View-Tour_FINAL_STL-8eca932aea.pdf)
19. [Incubus (Metairie, Louisiana band), AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/incubus-mn0001913644)
20. [USPTO TTAB proceeding 92074752, cancellation filing identifying Incubus](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-92074752-CAN-1.pdf)
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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 › Indie and alternative bands › Noise and experimental rock bands*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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