Biography
Los Angeles-via-London rocker Billy Tibbals merges power pop, glam rock, and new wave while channeling the heritage of both his birthplace and his later hometown through shimmering flair. Active within the same L.A. circuit as the Lemon Twigs and Uni Boys, he first displayed his command of ringing guitar lines and layered vocal hooks via the 2022 single “Onwards and Upwards/Lucy.” He then partnered with the Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson for the 2023 EP Stay Teenage, a release that carried audible traces of David Bowie, T. Rex, and Sparks. On 2024’s Nightlife Stories he offered a more cutting version of his rock fantasies.
Born in London, Tibbals relocated with his family to Los Angeles at age 11, where the city’s cultural backdrop merged with the television, films, and records he had known in England. Affection for the Beach Boys, Beatles, Sparks, and the Clash, together with William S. Burroughs’s prose, shaped the material he began composing in high school. Deepening his involvement, he studied piano and guitar, amassed vinyl, and spent time in record shops, absorbing knowledge of lesser-known power-pop acts.
Following his 2020 high-school graduation, Tibbals used the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns to lay down tracks inside a home studio set up in his parents’ garage. He also entered the city’s underground power-pop community, forming a friendship with the kindred-spirited Uni Boys. The band connected him with Curation Records, which agreed to issue his debut single. Cut alongside Uni Boys guitarist Reza Matin, the December 2022 release “Onwards and Upwards/Lucy” highlighted both his energetic power-pop drive and his gift for introspective ballads. Through the same label Tibbals encountered Chris Robinson, who produced the April 2023 EP Stay Teenage on his Silver Arrow Records imprint. A collection centered on the transition to adulthood, the EP was promoted by Tibbals and his group—guitarist Tristan Dean plus Uni Boys bassist Michael Cipolletti and drummer Artie Fitch—on a U.S. tour shared with Brower and Mac Saturn.
Reuniting with Robinson, Tibbals tracked April 2024’s Nightlife Stories, whose string and horn charts were handled by Matin and which ranged from abrasive, Kiss-styled rock to expansive, T. Rex-inflected ballads. After the EP’s appearance, Tibbals toured alongside the Black Crowes.
Born in London, Tibbals relocated with his family to Los Angeles at age 11, where the city’s cultural backdrop merged with the television, films, and records he had known in England. Affection for the Beach Boys, Beatles, Sparks, and the Clash, together with William S. Burroughs’s prose, shaped the material he began composing in high school. Deepening his involvement, he studied piano and guitar, amassed vinyl, and spent time in record shops, absorbing knowledge of lesser-known power-pop acts.
Following his 2020 high-school graduation, Tibbals used the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns to lay down tracks inside a home studio set up in his parents’ garage. He also entered the city’s underground power-pop community, forming a friendship with the kindred-spirited Uni Boys. The band connected him with Curation Records, which agreed to issue his debut single. Cut alongside Uni Boys guitarist Reza Matin, the December 2022 release “Onwards and Upwards/Lucy” highlighted both his energetic power-pop drive and his gift for introspective ballads. Through the same label Tibbals encountered Chris Robinson, who produced the April 2023 EP Stay Teenage on his Silver Arrow Records imprint. A collection centered on the transition to adulthood, the EP was promoted by Tibbals and his group—guitarist Tristan Dean plus Uni Boys bassist Michael Cipolletti and drummer Artie Fitch—on a U.S. tour shared with Brower and Mac Saturn.
Reuniting with Robinson, Tibbals tracked April 2024’s Nightlife Stories, whose string and horn charts were handled by Matin and which ranged from abrasive, Kiss-styled rock to expansive, T. Rex-inflected ballads. After the EP’s appearance, Tibbals toured alongside the Black Crowes.
Albums
Singles
