Formed in 2002 by Aaron Miller and Joe Cassidy, Chicago-based new wave/electro-pop outfit Assassins hit the scene hard with a devoted local following that blossomed into opening slots for bands like Duran Duran, Interpol, and VHS or Beta. The group, which by now included vocalist Merritt Lear, keyboard player David Golitko, and bassist Alex Kemp, took to the studio in 2005 with producer Stephen Hague and Radiohead engineer Graeme Stewart to complete work on its debut album. The resulting You Will Changed Us was released in 2006 on the Chemicals Kill label. Co-founder Joe Cassidy died on July 17, 2021. ~ James Christopher Monger