Buchanan are an alternative rock band formed in late 2009. The band is the project of English-born Josh Simons in collaboration with friends. Buchanan announced their retirement in January 2019 on their tenth anniversary. Simons currently resides in Los Angeles where he is working on new material while also serving as CEO for music social-professional network Vampr. History 2009–2012: Early years and No Photo - EP Originating out of Melbourne, Australia, the band recorded their debut record The Safety Beach E.P. in April 2010. Featuring production by Tim Cross (former Mike Oldfield collaborator) the collection of demos was released on iTunes in May 2010. The band were shortly after invited to showcase for several record labels. Deciding to steel themselves and avoid hasty commitment, the band headed back to the studio to develop more material and record the follow-up. Triple J debuted "Mr Keeperman" on Australian national radio on 19 September 2010. The band would go on to be featured on the Triple J Unearthed page and podcast. In November 2010, the band released a single called "Teachers" independently via TuneCore. The single was a Triple J hit, immediately added to high rotation and gained a five out of five star rating from Richard Kingsmill and multiple additions to The Hype Machine. In early 2011, the band played their first full electric shows in Sydney and Melbourne, playing to sold-out venues with the likes of Gypsy and the Cat, Kimbra, Georgia Fair and Alpine. In February 2011 the band won the Triple J Unearthed competition and were invited to play the esteemed Laneway festival in Melbourne, playing alongside Foals, Two Door Cinema Club, Cut Copy and Gotye. On 29 April 2011, the band released their first mass-produced record, No Photo - EP, to a strong critical reception. Distributed via Inertia Records, Zoo Weekly gave the release four stars, comparing the songs to "Phoenix, with the emotional gravitas of Mumford & Sons and the instrumental dexterity of Sigur Rós." MX newspaper gave the release three and a half stars describing the music as "considered indie pop." The band held residency throughout the month of release at Northcote Social Club as well as supporting Tim & Jean to promote the release. In June 2011, Buchanan embarked on their first national tour in support of second single "Mr Keeperman", playing shows in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne including supports with Jinja Safari, Trial Kennedy