->''"You gotta hear this one song. It'll change your life, I swear."''
-->-- '''Sam''' (played by Creator/NataliePortman), in praise of "New Slang" in ''Film/GardenState''

The Shins are an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1996, and now based in Portland, Oregon. The band's sound draws on several musical genres, including pop, alternative rock, indie rock and folk.

The band is led by singer, songwriter and guitarist James Mercer, who has been its only consistent member. Originally rising to fame with Mercer alongside keyboardist Martin Crandall, bassist Dave Hernandez, and drummer Jesse Sandoval, this lineup fell apart in 2009, and there have been few consistent members since.

Although their first two albums were released to critical and commercial success, many credit the film ''Film/GardenState''[='=]s use of "New Slang" with bringing the band to mainstream attention. (A second song from the same album, "Caring Is Creepy", also appears on the film's soundtrack.)

Their latest album, ''Heartworms'', was released in March 2017.

!!Studio albums:
* ''Oh, Inverted World'' (2001)
* ''Chutes Too Narrow'' (2003)
* ''Wincing The Night Away'' (2007)
* ''Port of Morrow'' (2012)
* ''Heartworms'' (2017)
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!!This band provides examples of:

* AlbumTitleDrop: ''Oh, Inverted World'' and ''Chutes Too Narrow'' are named for lyrics in "One By One All Day" and "Young Pilgrims", respectively.
%%* BreakupSong: Quite a few of them.
* GrowingUpSucks: One interpretation of "New Slang".
* IAmTheBand: James Mercer. It got to the point where [[Website/TheOnion The A.V. Club]] called the band "James Mercer and friends" instead of "The Shins".
* LastNoteNightmare: "One By One All Day" is mostly calm...until the end, where there's a very loud, jarring chord to end the song.
* LyricalDissonance: All over the place.
** Perhaps the greatest example is "Australia". Perhaps the most upbeat and cheery sounding song on ''Wincing the Night Away'' belies lyrics that befit a DespairEventHorizon.
* LyricsVideoMismatch: Another staple of their style. For example:
** ''The Rifle's Spiral:'' The song is about a suicide bomber. The video is a stop-motion animation of a magician protecting a rabbit from a NebulousEvilOrganisation.
** ''Simple Song:'' The song is a man reminiscing about his childhood sweetheart. The video is three adult siblings attending their father's funeral.
* MinimalisticCoverArt: "Oh! Inverted World"
* NonAppearingTitle: "Know Your Onion", "Australia", "Phantom Limb" [[note]]though "a phantom" is mentioned exactly once in the lyrics[[/note]], and "Caring is Creepy".
* OldTimeyAnkleTaboo: "Turn A Square":
-->''Just a glimpse of an ankle and I\\
React like it's 1805''
* ProtestSong: "No Way Down"
* SesameStreetCred: They've been on ''Series/YoGabbaGabba'' and contributed music to ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'' soundtrack.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: They even move up and down this ''in mid-song.''
* SurrealMusicVideo: ''The Rifle's Spiral'' is a strange marriage of Creator/EdwardGorey and Creator/DavidLynch. In StopMotion.
* ThisIsASong: "Simple Song"
* WordSaladLyrics: Subverted; the lyrics seem random, but they certainly do suggest a consistent feeling, and are rife with metaphors.
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