Silversun Pickups

Formed in the early 2000s in Los Angeles' Silver Lake neighborhood, Silversun Pickups established themselves as an alternative rock quartet blending overdriven guitars, shoegaze-leaning textures, and Brian Aubert's often airy vocals. Alongside the singer-guitarist, Nikki Monninger on bass, Christopher Guanlao on drums, and Joe Lester on keyboards shape a sound that swings between noisy energy and more dreamlike melodies, with arrangements that are often dense. The band first emerged on L.A.'s independent scene with the Pikul EP in 2005, before releasing their debut album, Carnavas, in 2006, which put them on North American and European touring circuits. The subsequent records, Swoon in 2009 and Neck of the Woods in 2012, extended that guitar-driven aesthetic while incorporating more atmospheric moods. Beginning with Better Nature in 2015, Silversun Pickups leaned further into electronic textures and a looser rhythmic feel, a progression continued on Widow's Weeds—produced by Butch Vig—in 2019, and on Physical Thrills in 2022 with Jacknife Lee, all while remaining rooted in an indie rock and dream pop palette nourished by international tours and festivals.