Ike Reilly endured somewhat of a journeyman career, flitting from band to band in the 1980s and '90s before emerging as a streetwise rock & roll firebrand in the 2000s. The Chicago singer/songwriter's rugged tales of losers, lovers, and other down-and-outs earned him a dedicated following thanks to albums like 2004's Sparkle in the Finish and 2007's We Belong to the Staggering Evening, both of which he made with his band the Ike Reilly Assassination. Over the coming years, he maintained a high degree of quality in his work, returning with solo highlights like 2005's Born on Fire and 2021's acerbic Because the Angels.