Spymob Returns: How the Pop-Rock Group Went From Backing Pharrell Williams’ N.E.R.D. to Reuniting 20 Years After Their Debut

It had been nearly two decades since they scattered when their group chat lit up with a renewed curiosity in reviving the band in January 2024. Spymob, now consisting of Ostby, guitarist Brent Paschke and drummer Eric Fawcett, had pursued separate vocations: Ostby and Fawcett became therapists in Minnesota, while Paschke settled in Los Angeles as a session musician, contributing to songs from Williams, Frank Ocean and Post Malone. But something about the collective excitement of a reunion struck a chord, and the machine started whirring.

“My first thought was, ‘I love what we did, but it felt like ancient history,'” says Ostby. “It didn’t sound realistic, just living in different places. But then I saw how long the thread was, and I was like, alright, I guess I’ve got to do it.” Ostby, the group’s primary songwriter, bought a cheap electronic keyboard, and the ideas started flowing. It eventually led to “Another Night,” Spymob’s first full-length album in over 20 years, a record that aligns with the synth-pop sensibilities of their early work with splashes of yacht rock. On “Forever in Time,” for instance, the group settles into a swishy disco groove, while the title track takes the baton from “Sitting Around,” all subtle chord shifts and piping background vocals.

Now an independent outfit, Spymob is relishing the freedom to dictate the direction of “Another Night,” releasing the album for purchase on Bandcamp in early June, followed by various singles leading up to an official streaming debut on September 1. For the group, a waterfall strategy felt appropriate given their admitted lack of social media savvy and years operating outside of the music business.

Part of the reunion is the product, says Fawcett, of “unfinished business.” “We left a lot of loose ends,” he says, noting that, for example, their digital distribution hadn’t been ironed out for years. “I was okay with that because we’re still friends and that was the most important thing. As people and music makers, we’re more mature. And it’s a really rare thing for a group like this to come together in the first place. I don’t think it’s lost on any of us how rare it is to have a collaboration that lasts and doesn’t blow up. So for us to have an opportunity to make music again, to do it on our own, to feel competent about the process, to love the result, is inherently amazing.”

It’s a welcome second act for Spymob, which was originally a foursome during its heyday. (The group’s bassist, Christian Twigg, did contribute to half the songs on “Another Night” but left after what Ostby refers to as a “falling out.”) The group was established in the early ’90s under the name Reno and built up local buzz in Minneapolis at venues like the 400 Bar, putting out indie releases that led to the “Spymob” EP in 1999. They signed to Epic but were dropped in 2001; with support from Williams and Hugo, who signed them to Star Trak under the Arista umbrella, they forged a new path as a group, recording live instrumentation for the re-release of N.E.R.D.’s debut “In Search Of…” in 2002 and touring with them as both their opening act and backing band.

“With N.E.R.D, it was an opportunity to reach an audience we never would have reached otherwise,” says Fawcett. One of their biggest looks came when the Neptunes placed the song “Half-Steering” on their “Clones” compilation alongside hits including Pharrell’s “Frontin'” featuring Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes’ “Light Your Ass on Fire.” “Pharrell and Chad always fought for us, and so I look back at it like, thank God we got dropped from Epic,” adds Paschke.

But after finally releasing “Sitting Around Keeping Score” in 2004, they knew it was time to throw in the towel. “We didn’t stop making music because we didn’t want to make music together anymore,” says Fawcett. “We stopped making music because we couldn’t afford it. And we were having families and babies and the logistics of life, the red tape and just craziness of the music industry just made it not possible and not fun.”

In 2012, Ostby became a therapist back in the suburbs of Minneapolis, raising two children. Fawcett started a music production and licensing company in 2011 before becoming a therapist himself, also in Minneapolis. Paschke, meanwhile, laid down roots in Los Angeles, maintaining a relationship with Williams and amassing a sizable catalog as a working musician.

Now, “Another Night,” says Ostby, is just the beginning of the next era of Spymob’s career. They have no immediate plans to perform live — “We’re open to the idea of it, but the right opportunity has to come along,” notes Paschke — but the trio is already two-thirds of the way through recording another album, with plans to release it next year and in hopes of continuing to put out new music.

“It’s just such a satisfying process,” says Fawcett. “The three of us are championing and supporting and also challenging each other when we feel like we’re taking a turn that’s not right. It feels great, and of course we want people to love it, but even if they don’t, I think we’re still going to do this for a while. I love that.”

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