Stephen Steinbrink
Sounding sweet on the surface with complex emotions lurking beneath, Stephen Steinbrink's music is indie pop with carefully stacked harmonies, vintage keyboard sounds, production that combines a lo-fi mindset with clean engineering, and a lyrical perspective that's usually bittersweet and sometimes sorrowful. Originally from Arizona, Steinbrink has been something of a nomad and performed with a variety of bands, including Dear Nora, Lake, and Boy Scouts, but he began making an impression as a solo artist with 2013's I Drew a Picture, where his slightly bent pop classicism first appeared fully formed. 2018's Utopia Teased was made in the wake of a tragedy that shook him deeply, and 2023's Disappearing Coin, recorded after a break from making music, found him sounding refreshed and eager to explore.
Stephen Steinbrink was born in 1988 in Mesa, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. A creative kid growing up in a town that prized conformity, Steinbrink turned to music as a way of expressing his frustrations and taught himself to play the guitar. In 2006, he joined Andrew Jackson Jihad, a folk-punk band from Phoenix, and he would record and perform with them for the next two years. At the same time, he was making music with another project, French Quarter, which featured Preston Bryant of AJJ and Aaron Neber of Black Feet. In 2008, he made his solo debut with a small-run CD-R release, a home-recorded set titled Wedding. A second CD, Ugly Unknowns, came out the following year, and Rennet, an eight-song EP recorded with James Roemer, appeared in 2010. A cassette-only EP, Condensed Nothing, was issued in 2011, with another tape, Yellow Canary Jumpsuit, appearing in shops in 2012. Steinbrink recorded an album for Holy Page Records, 2013's I Drew a Picture, that earned enthusiastic press, and during a sojourn in the Pacific Northwest, he took part in the sessions for Lake's fourth album, The World Is Real, issued by K Records in 2013. Steinbrink became a charter member of the experimental group Soft Shoulder, appearing on 2015's No Draw and 2017's Songs and Intermissions, and he was a touring member of a number of notable indie acts, including of Dear Nora, Girlpool, Broken Water, Flying Circles, and Ever Ending Kicks.
2016 brought another solo effort from Steinbrink, the critically celebrated Anagrams, and in December of that year, the influential Oakland, California D.I.Y. venue Ghost Ship was gutted by a fire that claimed 36 lives. Steinbrink, who had played there, was powerfully affected by the tragedy, and he locked himself in his home studio as he sorted out his emotions. He eventually emerged with the 2018 LP Utopia Teased, which was wisely praised in the indie music community. Steinbrink devoted his energies to working with other artists over the next several years, appearing on albums by Boy Scouts (2019's Free Company) and Madeline Kenney (2020's Sucker's Lunch), as well as recording at home during the COVID-19 lockdown. His follow-up to Utopia Teased finally arrived in August 2023; Disappearing Coin, an exercise in polished, expressive pop, was issued in Western Vinyl.
© Mark Deming /TiVo
Discografia
17 album • Ordinato per Bestseller
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Disappearing Coin
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Western Vinyl il 18 ago 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Opalescent Ribbon
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Western Vinyl il 23 mag 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
I Drew a Picture
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Mélodic il 1 giu 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Arranged Waves
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Mélodic il 29 ott 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Utopia Teased
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Mélodic il 9 nov 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cruiser
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Western Vinyl il 20 giu 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
I Don't Know How to Deal with It
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Mélodic il 3 ago 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pony
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Western Vinyl il 14 ago 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
B-Sides & Instrumentals (2012-2017)
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Mélodic il 13 apr 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Poured Back in the Stream
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Western Vinyl il 18 lug 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Absent Mind
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Mélodic il 13 apr 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Part of Me Is a Part of You
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Mélodic il 25 ott 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Building Machines
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Mélodic il 27 apr 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo