Iration

Blending reggae, dub, rock, and pop into a relaxed, accessible sound, the California outfit Iration built its profile through repeated appearances on the American festival circuit during the final years of the 2000s. A series of albums followed that dominated Billboard’s reggae rankings while also entering the Top 200, with standout releases including Automatic in 2013 and Hotting Up two years later. Even after personnel adjustments in subsequent seasons, the group sustained its momentum and continued refining its approach.

Although the musicians trace their origins to Hawaii, they first assembled in the college community of Isla Vista near Santa Barbara. The founding roster—vocalist Kai Rediske, guitarist and singer Micah Pueschel, keyboardist Cayson Peterson, bassist Adam Taylor, and drummer Joseph Dickens—quickly connected with audiences across California campuses through its bright, melody-driven style. After issuing the New Roots EP in 2006, the band delivered its first complete album, No Time for Rest, in 2007, which included a contribution from reggae veteran Mikey Dread. A run of dates supporting Pepper came next in 2008, accompanied by the Sample This EP. Steady road work occupied the group until the arrival of its second full-length, Time Bomb, in 2010.

Coinciding with the commercial breakthrough of Automatic in 2013, the departure of singer Kai Rediske was made public. Micah Pueschel handled all lead vocals for the remainder of that year until Micah Brown joined on lead guitar and vocals in 2014. Hotting Up, the first project featuring Brown, appeared in 2015, returned to the top of the Billboard Reggae Albums chart, and spawned the successful track “Reelin.” The following year the acoustic collection Double Up, containing new versions of earlier material, again reached number one on the same chart. During 2017 Iration issued multiple singles ahead of its sixth album, released under the band’s own name in May of the next year.