Silversun Pickups

Silversun Pickups are an American alternative/indie rock band from Los Angeles, California that have diverse influences ranging from The Velvet Underground to shoegazing bands like Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine to (critics have suggested) The Smashing Pumpkins.

The band consists of Brian Aubert (vocals/guitar), Nikki Monninger (vocals/bass), Christopher Guanlao (drums), and Joe Lester (keyboards). The band members are friends who had played together previously or in mutual friends' bands.

Silversun Pickups have been compared to The Smashing Pumpkins (possibly due in part to Brian Aubert's vocal style) and Shoegaze / Dream Pop bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Lush and Slowride, as well as other influences such as The Velvet Underground. Silversun Pickups claim they have been heavily influenced by Modest Mouse, as well as other lesser known acts.

Their first break came when a friend mailed a boombox demo to CMJ and they were accepted. They got their start in many of the most important L.A. clubs and began to draw a strong following upon the release of the Pikul EP. This culminated in frequent touring, including a co-headlining stint with Viva Voce.

A sense of urgency drives Silversun Pickups. The GRAMMY® Award-nominated Los Angeles quartet create and perform with eloquence and intensity all at once. Guitars may restlessly roar and rumble, only to be reined in by the spell of a saccharine melody or a honeyed hook. This push-and-pull has catapulted the group—Brian Aubert [vocals, guitar], Nikki Monninger [bass, vocals], Christopher Guanlao [drums], and Joe Lester [keys]—out of a crowded and competitive local scene and into the wide open space of some of the world’s biggest stages.

They’ve thrived as one of this century’s most consistent and quietly impactful rock bands. Their full-length debut, Carnavas [2006], went Gold and spawned the Platinum staple “Lazy Eye.” On its heels, they logged two back-to-back Top 10 entries on the Billboard 200 with Swoon [2009]—featuring the Gold-certified “Panic Switch”—and Neck of the Woods [2012]. Coursing through culture, they have landed dozens of film and television placements, ranging from the cult classic Jennifer’s Body to NETFLIX’s The Lincoln Lawyer. They’ve held their own on tours with the likes of Foo Fighters and Muse, sold out successive headline jaunts, and performed on late-night television shows such as Jimmy Kimmel LIVE! Beyond praise from NPR, Consequence, and more, Pitchfork hailed 2022’s Physical Thrills as “their most varied and carefree songs in over a decade.”

Now, Silversun Pickups meet the moment with their seventh full-length LP, Tenterhooks [New Machine Recordings]. It’s an anxious, emotionally charged, and unapologetic collection of ten tracks appropriate for the times, yet as timeless as anything they’ve done.