Kai Slater – Austin Town Hall

Required Sharp Pins Post

February 27, 2025 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Over the last month or so, I’ve been perhaps over-hyping the reissue of Sharp Pins Radio DDR LP…as it includes several new songs that have just blown me away. While those earlier new jams had a lo-fi mentality, this last track from the record’s press push has a softer underbelly, perhaps one that loos back on the Beatles or Bolan; it has that signature simplicity gripping tightly to the way the voice carries the melody. It’s a pretty magical number, and just another reason why we’re encouraging you to really dive into this reissue; it’ll drop on Marcy 21st via K Recs/Perennial, but you can stream it all now HERE.

News
Tunes

Sharp Pins Share Storma Lee Video

February 5, 2025 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

The expanded version of Radio DDR will be out this March, but every new little Sharp Pins snippet we get to hear, like “Storma Lee” just makes me feel embarrassed how infinitely cool this kid is. I don’t mean that in a belittling sense, but there’s this wiseness and awareness that I can’t imagine possessing at his age, and his music is beginning to show the depths of that knowledge. Slater calls this a “zombie beach boy daydream terror,” though I can see it as a less erratic Guided by Voices; it has this slight polish, just on the cusp of being overdone or disappearing altogether. There’s a dedication to a sort of lo-fidelity taste, and the warbles add to that texture, but slight little changes like the plot twist at 1:48 illustrate the stunning craftsmanship in all these songs. Just another phenomenal taste of what’s to come: Radio DDR is out March 21st via K Records/Perennial.

News
Tunes

Sharp Pins Reissue Radio DDR + Share New Single

January 8, 2025 nathan.lankford Leave a comment

Originally released as part of the Hallogallo tape series, Sharp Pins have elected to reissue Radio DDR via the heralded K Records/Perennial. But, the real kicker is that Kai Slater has not only doubled-down on his craft, he’s added a few new tracks to the release, one of which you can’t catch below. There’s a familiarity to his discordant pop, especially if you’ve found yourself fond of obscure lo-fi pop, though there’s some little nuances that add their own layer of charm. Just listen to the bass bob right before the 2 minute mark hits, turning the song into an entirely different piece that opens up a pandora’s box of melody before reverting back; it’s a brief flourish, albeit one that has Slater as one of the great indie hopes of tomorrow. Radio DDR will be out on March 21st via the aforementioned heroes.

News
Tunes