# James Mercer (musician)
**James Russell Mercer** is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known as the founder, lead vocalist, and primary songwriter of the indie rock band [The Shins](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-shins) and as one half of the duo [Broken Bells](https://www.edgepedia.org/broken-bells) with producer Brian Burton, known as Danger Mouse.[1](https://the-talks.com/interview/james-mercer/) • [2](https://time.com/1569/danger-zone/) The Shins formed in 1996 in [Albuquerque, New Mexico](https://www.edgepedia.org/albuquerque-new-mexico), and are based in Portland, Oregon, where Mercer lives.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-shins-mn0000419102/biography) • [4](https://www.theshinstour.com/biography/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | James Russell Mercer[1](https://the-talks.com/interview/james-mercer/) |
| Bands | The Shins (formed 1996, Albuquerque, New Mexico); Broken Bells with Brian Burton (Danger Mouse)[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-shins-mn0000419102/biography) • [2](https://time.com/1569/danger-zone/) |
| Role in The Shins | Founder, lead vocals, guitar, and primary songwriter; the last remaining original member[4](https://www.theshinstour.com/biography/) • [5](https://time.com/4703315/spoon-shins-conor-oberst-reviews/) |
| Breakthrough | "New Slang" featured prominently in the 2004 film *Garden State*, launching the band into the mainstream[6](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-15/james-mercer-from-the-shins-on-his-interesting/8357854) |
| Chart peak | *Wincing the Night Away* debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard charts in late January 2007[7](https://www.salon.com/2007/03/07/conversations_mercer/) |
| Later Shins albums | *Port of Morrow* (2012, produced by Greg Kurstin) and *Heartworms* (2017)[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-shins-mn0000419102/biography) |
| Home base | Portland, Oregon[4](https://www.theshinstour.com/biography/) |
## The Shins and Flake Music
The Shins grew out of Flake Music, a project Mercer began in 1996, and he remains the band's main protagonist and only constant member.[8](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/james-mercer-of-the-shins-and-the-sound-of-the-summer-of-85-1.3004264) With Mercer as primary songwriter, the group developed a focused, crafted sound inspired by the psychedelic pop of the [Elephant 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/elephant-6) collective and the tuneful songs of the 1950s and '60s, in contrast to Flake Music's rambling, collaborative style.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-shins-mn0000419102/biography) AllMusic describes the band as one of indie rock's definitive acts, built on Mercer's bittersweet, melodic mix of '60s psych-pop, folk, and power pop and his elliptically emotional lyrics.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-shins-mn0000419102/biography)
The band's 2001 debut, *Oh, Inverted World*, drew a landslide of critical acclaim, and the more polished *Chutes Too Narrow* followed in 2003.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-shins-mn0000419102/biography) Mercer has said that when he started The Shins it was really just him alone, recording and writing songs under the band's name, in the manner of one-person projects like [Neutral Milk Hotel](https://www.edgepedia.org/neutral-milk-hotel), before he assembled a touring band to interpret the songs.[9](https://www.avclub.com/james-mercer-of-the-shins-1798230544)
## Mainstream breakthrough
**Garden State.** The song "New Slang," which The Shins had released three years earlier, featured prominently in [Zach Braff](https://www.edgepedia.org/zach-braff)'s 2004 film *Garden State* and launched the band into the mainstream.[6](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-15/james-mercer-from-the-shins-on-his-interesting/8357854) Two songs appeared on the film's hit soundtrack, and the band's popularity rose sharply.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-shins-mn0000419102/biography) • [7](https://www.salon.com/2007/03/07/conversations_mercer/)
The momentum carried into the next record. *Wincing the Night Away* debuted at No. 2 on the [Billboard charts](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-charts) when it was released in late January 2007, and it became a Grammy-nominated, U.S. Top Ten hit.[7](https://www.salon.com/2007/03/07/conversations_mercer/) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-shins-mn0000419102/biography) Mercer recalled learning of the chart position while doing promotion in London, and said he was excited for the band's label, [Sub Pop](https://www.edgepedia.org/sub-pop).[7](https://www.salon.com/2007/03/07/conversations_mercer/)
## Broken Bells
After *Wincing the Night Away*, Mercer branched out with producer and multi-instrumentalist Brian Burton, known as [Danger Mouse](https://www.edgepedia.org/danger-mouse-musician), in the experimental duo Broken Bells.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-shins-mn0000419102/biography) Burton, whose credits include [Gnarls Barkley](https://www.edgepedia.org/gnarls-barkley) and production for the Black Keys, Norah Jones, and U2, has called Mercer "hands down" his favorite artist to work with.[2](https://time.com/1569/danger-zone/) The duo's self-titled 2010 debut fused rock, hip-hop beats, and electronica, and the follow-up, *After the Disco* (2014), pushed further into thick synthesizer melodies channeling '80s pop; Mercer called some of those songs the most straightforward pieces he had ever composed.[2](https://time.com/1569/danger-zone/)
Mercer has said the first Broken Bells record helped him out of a funk fueled by strained relationships within The Shins, and the collaboration's approach rubbed off on the Shins' layered 2012 album *Port of Morrow*.[2](https://time.com/1569/danger-zone/) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-shins-mn0000419102/biography)
## Rebuilding The Shins
**Port of Morrow.** In the years after *Wincing the Night Away*, Mercer parted ways with longtime bandmates Dave Hernandez, Jesse Sandoval, and Marty Crandall, a move many called a firing and he termed "an aesthetic decision."[9](https://www.avclub.com/james-mercer-of-the-shins-1798230544) • [10](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2012/02/spin-interview-james-mercer/) *Port of Morrow*, released in March 2012 and produced by [Greg Kurstin](https://www.edgepedia.org/greg-kurstin), was the first new Shins record in five years and the first since that split; it was a brighter, poppier record filled with spacey '70s keyboards.[10](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2012/02/spin-interview-james-mercer/) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-shins-mn0000419102/biography) Mercer's backing band for the album included songwriters Jessica Dobson and Richard Swift, Modest Mouse drummer Joe Plummer, and Crystal Skulls' Yuuki Matthews.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-shins-mn0000419102/biography) The album was released on Aural Apothecary, the label Mercer runs from a converted carriage house studio behind his Portland home.[10](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2012/02/spin-interview-james-mercer/)
**Heartworms.** The fifth Shins album, *Heartworms*, arrived in March 2017, with ornate production that critics compared to the supersize musical worlds of [Supertramp](https://www.edgepedia.org/supertramp) and [Jellyfish](https://www.edgepedia.org/jellyfish).[5](https://time.com/4703315/spoon-shins-conor-oberst-reviews/) A companion release, *The Worm's Heart*, followed, reflecting Mercer's interest in reinvigorating classic sounds.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-shins-mn0000419102/biography)
## Background and personal life
Mercer is a self-described military brat who has lived everywhere from England to Albuquerque; his father was a nuclear weapons specialist, and Mercer has joked that "he lies to you a lot about things."[10](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2012/02/spin-interview-james-mercer/) • [6](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-15/james-mercer-from-the-shins-on-his-interesting/8357854) He was 41 years old at the time of a February 2012 interview.[10](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2012/02/spin-interview-james-mercer/) He married the designer Marisa Kula, and the couple had two young daughters as of 2012.[9](https://www.avclub.com/james-mercer-of-the-shins-1798230544) • [10](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2012/02/spin-interview-james-mercer/) He also acted in the feature film *Some Days Are Better Than Others*.[9](https://www.avclub.com/james-mercer-of-the-shins-1798230544)
## References
1. [James Mercer – The Talks](https://the-talks.com/interview/james-mercer/)
2. [Danger Zone, Time](https://time.com/1569/danger-zone/)
3. [The Shins – Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-shins-mn0000419102/biography)
4. [Biography, The Shins Tour](https://www.theshinstour.com/biography/)
5. [Indie Rock May Be Dislocated, but It's Far from Dead, Time](https://time.com/4703315/spoon-shins-conor-oberst-reviews/)
6. [James Mercer from The Shins on his interesting family history, ABC News](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-15/james-mercer-from-the-shins-on-his-interesting/8357854)
7. [Conversations: James Mercer, Salon](https://www.salon.com/2007/03/07/conversations_mercer/)
8. [James Mercer of The Shins, and the sound of the summer of '85, The Irish Times](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/james-mercer-of-the-shins-and-the-sound-of-the-summer-of-85-1.3004264)
9. [James Mercer of The Shins, The A.V. Club](https://www.avclub.com/james-mercer-of-the-shins-1798230544)
10. [The SPIN Interview: The Shins' James Mercer, SPIN](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2012/02/spin-interview-james-mercer/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Rock, metal, and popular-band musicians › Indie rock and lo-fi › 2000s indie rock musicians*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 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