Basecamp

Basecamp originated in Nashville, Tennessee, yet the trio’s output diverges sharply from the city’s prevailing country traditions. Composed of Aaron Miller, Aaron C. Harmon, and Jordan Reyes, the group fashions moody electronic pop built on subtle glitchy production, haunting cello and guitar lines, and R&B-inflected vocals. Their precisely crafted beats, which echo the U.K. garage and post-dubstep approach of Mount Kimbie and SBTRKT, generally maintain a measured pace but accelerate during heightened dramatic passages. The cleanly delivered vocals carry introspective lyrics centered on the anxious and yearning dimensions of personal relationships. The act first appeared in 2013 via a self-released, self-titled EP whose immediate attention prompted support slots alongside CHVRCHES, Sohn, and Javelin. Before the year closed, Basecamp supplied a guest mix for Skream and Benga’s BBC Radio 1 program, reworked Swedish singer/songwriter Erik Hassle’s single “Talk About It,” and issued a remix EP. In early 2014 Turntable Kitchen pressed a limited-edition 7" of the EP cut “Emmanuel,” coupling it with the group’s reinterpretation of Ace of Base’s hit “All That She Wants.” The three musicians appeared at multiple festivals across the United States and Canada, among them South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and unveiled the single “Shudder,” also accompanied by a remix EP. After additional festival engagements and dates supporting Phantogram, the track “Watch My Back” was included on French dance label Kitsuné Music’s compilation Kitsuné America, Vol. 4, which arrived in May of 2015. Later that year Basecamp joined the roster of Skrillex’s OWSLA imprint, where the same song served as the flagship single for the subsequent EP Greater Than, issued in August.