Sharp Pins
Sharp Pins is the solo project of Kai Slater, a Chicago songwriter who records jangling, hook-crammed power pop on a four-track cassette deck in his bedroom, chasing the sound of Revolver with a fake Vox Phantom and a knockoff Rickenbacker. When he isn't cutting these lo-fi pop gems, Slater plays guitar and sings in the post-punk trio Lifeguard, who signed to Matador. His album Radio DDR earned a Best New Music nod from Pitchfork on its 2025 reissue, and the sprawling, 21-track Balloon Balloon Balloon followed later that year. He edits the hand-assembled Hallogallo zine, a running document of Chicago's young DIY scene, and dresses the part of a 60s mod dandy while doing it. His songs wear their influences plainly: the Beatles, Big Star, the Byrds' twelve-string chime, and Guided by Voices, all filtered through tape hiss and restless invention.
Albums (12)
11 tracks Mod Mayday 23
21 tracks Balloon Balloon Balloon
1 track I Wonder Where You Hide All Your Love
14 tracks Radio DDR
13 tracks Turtle Rock
3 tracks You Turned off the Light
Lucky Dog
2 tracks YANKEE BOY b/w WHEN WILL IT BE COLD?
2 tracks LUCKY DOG b/w THE SHARKS GOT YOU AGAIN
11 tracks To Swallow a Sea
16 tracks Wail Your Whales! (Oddities and Memory Constructions)
4 tracks Homewood Demos
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