Home / Arts and Entertainment / 21-Year-Old's Homemade Psychedelic Pop Gems Shine on Sharp Pins' New Album
21-Year-Old's Homemade Psychedelic Pop Gems Shine on Sharp Pins' New Album
29 Oct
Summary
- 21-year-old musician Kai Slater records solo project Sharp Pins in his bedroom
- New album "Balloon Balloon Balloon" features incandescently catchy DIY pop
- Slater embraces limitations of home setup, creating Sixties-inspired sound
In early 2025, 21-year-old Chicago musician Kai Slater quietly recorded his superb new Sharp Pins album "Balloon Balloon Balloon" in the bedroom where he makes all of his solo project's music. Slater, who also fronts the loud, jittery rock trio Lifeguard, has spent the last few years crafting incandescently catchy DIY pop hooks on the side.
"Balloon Balloon Balloon" is a sheer delight for any fan of homemade guitar pop. Embracing the limitations of his home-recording setup, Slater has created an album full of psychedelic sunshine and jangly joy, teeming with melodies that snuck into his head and wouldn't leave until he got them down on tape. With ample echoes of the Beatles and the Byrds, the album feels like a lost private-press LP from the mid-to-late Sixties.
As Slater prepares to hit the road again with Lifeguard, he's made a secret AM-radio broadcast from another world with "Balloon Balloon Balloon" - a collection of love letters and personal expressions, all captured in the initial burst of inspiration.
