Acrylics

Following the 2007 dissolution of their band Standing Nudes, longtime friends and collaborators Jason Klauber and Molly Shea still felt compelled to create music as a duo. Having first connected at Oberlin College when a mutual acquaintance shared several of Shea’s compositions with Klauber, ultimately sparking the original Standing Nudes lineup, the pair chose to pursue a markedly different sonic path. Drawing from the melodic sensibilities of Fleetwood Mac, Gram Parsons, and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, they began composing under the name Acrylics and channeled the spirit of that classic pop era. Initial sessions took place in Klauber's basement, which also housed the home studio of his roommate Patrick Wimberly of Chairlift. The project soon expanded with the addition of Travis Rosenberg and Sam Ubl on drums plus Jake Aron on bass, forming a five-piece ensemble that started performing around Brooklyn. During only their second gig, Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor offered to issue material on his fledgling imprint Terrible Records. After recording at Taylor’s facility, Acrylics issued the EP All of the Fire in October 2009, coinciding with several high-profile appearances at New York’s CMJ Festival. Over the next two years the core duo refined their full-length debut alongside producers Patrick Wimberly of Chairlift, Matt Boynton of Gang Gang Dance and MGMT, and Britt Myers of Yeasayer and Chairlift, with Chris Gehringer (Rihanna, Drake, Nas) handling mastering duties; the resulting album Lives and Treasure appeared in 2011.