Silversun Pickups

Silversun Pickups is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles that was formed in 2000. Their sound, often encompassing multiple overdubs of distorted guitars, is frequently compared to that of The Smashing Pumpkins and My Bloody Valentine.

Silversun Pickups have always considered their sonic density a source of pride: The Los Angeles band’s four studio full-lengths—including their 2006 gold-selling debut, Carnavas, which spawned the hits “Lazy Eye” and “Well Thought Out Twinkles”—reveal additional sonic gifts with each subsequent spin.

Their fifth album, Widow’s Weeds, also caters to an adventurous, patient group of listeners. Strident acoustic strumming tussles with raging electric riffs, as urgent, precise beats and moody electronic pulses percolate underneath. The band members—which, in addition to Aubert, include bassist Nikki Monninger, drummer Christopher Guanlao and keyboardist Joe Lester—were also in agreement with the album’s starting point (the urgent synth-rocker “Neon Wound”) and closer (the aggressive, throttling “We Are Chameleons”). The band admitted that everything in between, including how the rest of Widow’s Weeds was sequenced and how the album unfolded, often surprised the band.