A British alternative rock outfit from Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire, Jesus Jones' kinetic mix of samples, pop, dance, and techno resulted in one huge international hit single, "Right Here, Right Now." Known for their strong melodies and hooks, and for meshing club overtones with traditional rock guitar, the group, alongside contemporaries like EMF, the Shamen, and Pop Will Eat Itself, helped shape the '90s alternative rock scene by showing that sample-driven dance music could comfortably fit into pop music. While their popularity faded in the early 2000s, they continued to perform and record, albeit sporadically, with their sixth studio long-player, Passages, arriving in 2018 after a lengthy hiatus.nn Founded in 1988 by frontman Mike Edwards, Jerry De Borg, Al Doughty, Iain Baker, and Gen (Simon Matthews), the band received a considerable amount of buzz with the release of their debut album Liquidizer in 1989, which featured fan favorites like "Info Freako" and "Never Enough." Doubt, their 1991 sophomore effort, launched them into the stratosphere via the end of the Cold War-inspired mega-hit "Right Here, Right Now," which was subsequently licensed for numerous promotional and advertising campaigns around the globe. Deciding to make it their mission to make techno palatable for the pop masses, Edwards and company recorded the group's follow-up album, 1993's Perverse, which included the hit "The Devil You Know," almost entirely on computer. After a long layoff, they returned in the summer of 1997 with Already. Initially, the album was only released in the U.K.; it was later released in the U.S. during the spring of 1998. Three years passed before the group returned to form. With new members Alan Doughty (bass) and Tony Arthy (drums), Jesus Jones inked a deal with Koch and issued London in fall 2001. Three years later the band released the Culture Vulture EP, but with the exception of a handful of live digital-only offerings, and a couple of compilations, it would be their last studio outing for over a decade. They returned in 2018 (minus Arthy, who was replaced with Simon "Gen" Matthews) with their sixth effort, Passages, which featured the fiery single "Suck It Up." The album was crowd-funded in an effort to closely involve fans with the writing and recording process. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine