Maximum Balloon

David Sitek, a founding member of TV on the Radio who also works as a producer, created Maximum Balloon as his side project. After relocating from New York to California, he began assembling playlists of Prince, Cyndi Lauper, Chic, and further Nile Rodgers productions specifically to soundtrack the Golden State’s extended drives, an approach that soon shaped the material he was developing. Seeking to reflect the diverse character of those recordings, Sitek brought in vocalists such as TVOTR’s Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone, Little Dragon's Yukumi Nagano, Holly Miranda, and Dragons of Zynth's Aku. Aku contributed to the debut single “Tiger,” issued in June 2010 and paired with a striking video starring model Daisy Lowe. The tracks "Groove Me," "Young Love," and "If You Return" appeared next, leading to the arrival of Maximum Balloon’s self-titled debut album that September.