Midwest outfit Mike Mains & the Branches is a spiritually centered indie rock band that emerged in the late 2000s. They issued a trio of albums in the 2010s, including the driving debut Home, as well as a pair of EPs. Following the release of their pensive sophomore effort, they were quiet for five years before returning with 2019’s cathartic When We Were in Love. Formed in 2009 in Gainesville, Texas, the group originally consisted of guitarist Mike Mains, drummer David Denison, bassist Jacob Burkhart, and keyboardist Shannon Briggs. Burkhart left the group in 2011 and was replaced by bassist Nathan Wethy. The band signed a deal with Platinum Pop Music, which re-released Home with national distribution, and a single drawn from it, “Miracle,” rose to the number three spot on the American Christian Rock chart and garnered frequent radio play. A second EP, Everything, appeared in 2013, with a second full-length, Calm Down Everything Is Fine, arriving a year later in 2014.

After a five-year absence the crew returned in 2019 with their third effort, When We Were in Love. Inspired by Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen, the set was recorded in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with Nathan Horst and included the songs “Endless Summer” and “Live Forever.”