Demitasse

Erik Sanden and Joe Reyes, both from the Texas art-rock band Buttercup, launched Demitasse—French for “half cup”—as a side project in 2014. Their music merges folk built on intricate vocal harmonies with indie pop centered on strong melodies.

Buttercup originated in 2004 when Sanden, Reyes, and Odie assembled the group. The trio’s approach fuses jangly art rock with performances that draw on visual art, performance art, and installation, yielding several well-received LPs such as Captains of Industry (2007) and Battle of Flowers (2017).

Sanden and Reyes adopted the Demitasse name in 2014 and released their debut album Blue Medicine that same year. Powercouple (2018) moved the duo toward a harder-edged indie rock sound, while Perfect Life (2020) returned to the largely acoustic, minimalist folk-pop of their first record.