BIOGRAPHY
The Magnetic Fields formed in Boston in 1989 under songwriter, producer, and vocalist Stephin Merritt, who has anchored the band's shifting lineup ever since. Early releases like 1991's Distant Plastic Trees and the 1991 single "100,000 Fireflies" featured Merritt's synthesized arrangements paired with vocalist Susan Anway, before Merritt took over lead vocals from The House of Tomorrow EP onward. The band signed to Merge Records in 1993, and a more traditional lineup later formed around Merritt, Claudia Gonson, Sam Davol, and John Woo. The group's defining achievement came in 1999 with 69 Love Songs, a sprawling three-hour concept album that Merritt has described as a "publicity stunt" that reshaped his career. Later work includes a self-described "no-synth trilogy" (i, Distortion, Realism) and 2017's autobiographical 50 Song Memoir.