Mains & Monitors

Bittersweet, exhausted triumph was always at the core of Mains & Monitors. It's almost a miracle that the power-pop quartet managed to make a record at all, having accidentally coagulated in the (literal and musically figurative) Idaho desert. Lead songwriter & vocalist Chase Chandler met drummer Patrick Henry in 2016 during an audition for another local band, and the two found an immediate chemistry. It was after two years, a self-produced demo, a chaotic set of local shows, and several bassists, the group finally found their current lineup, and their triumphant identity, with Eli Stonemets joining on bass, and Jordan Thornquest on guitar.

Mains & Monitors's original sound was a dirty garage-rock, but Chandler quickly felt the songs reflected an immaturity & fury that had since burned itself out. In 2018, Chandler took time to reflect on a years-long relationship that had come to a close, and penned the experience into what would become the band's debut full-length, Kalani. With a confident turn towards anthemic power-pop (as heard in lead singles Auckland & Let's Go To Vegas), and a willingness to explore vulnerable tenderness (particularly in mellow cut What A Way To End The Night), the band tempered their blazing energy into taught reflection. The album was recorded throughout 2018 in the group's DIY community studio, and mixed in New York by producer Jack Shirley at The Atomic Garden (credited on records by Deafhaven, Jeff Rosenstock, & Remo Drive).