Biography
Chad Ubovich, long entrenched in California's garage punk circles and the newer psychedelic wave, directs Meatbodies with his guitar and vocals, guiding the group across multiple strains of guitar-driven rock. Early efforts drew from punk's force while retaining melodic accessibility, before the band ventured into psychedelic terrain with the 2017 concept album Alice. Years of upheaval followed, after which the musicians redirected their guitar focus toward shoegaze, dream pop, and 1990s alternative territory on Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom, issued in 2023.
The project first assembled in mid-2012 while Ubovich handled guitar duties for Mikal Cronin's touring ensemble. During a break between Cronin's road commitments, Ubovich began performing alongside Cory Hanson of Wand, Erik Jimenez, and Riley Youngdahl under the name Chad & the Meatbodies. Ty Segall took notice and issued a cassette-only set of home recordings on God? Records. The limited tape sold out rapidly, prompting Segall to enlist Ubovich on bass for his band Fuzz in 2013. In the Red soon discovered the recordings and issued two tracks from the now-unavailable cassette as a 7" single in early 2014. The self-titled Meatbodies album followed later that year. Although Hanson, Jimenez, and Youngdahl contributed to its sessions, Ubovich assembled a permanent touring lineup featuring Patrick Nolan on guitar, Killian LeDuke on bass, and Ryan Moutinho on drums.
Once the album and its supporting tour concluded, Ubovich resumed sideman work, playing bass on Fuzz's 2015 release II and rejoining Mikal Cronin on the road. After recruiting bassist Kevin Boog and issuing the "Hibernation" single in 2016, the band recorded its second album, Alice, a conceptual work addressing topics such as war, sex, politics, and religion. In the Red Records released it in early 2017. Following the subsequent tour, Ubovich stepped away from the cycle of chemically fueled overexertion and adopted a sober routine. This change triggered an outpouring of new material, including sessions with drummer Dylan Fujioka that were nearly ready for mixing when the pandemic halted the project. During lockdown, Ubovich revisited a lo-fi 2018 demo he had made with Fujioka and determined that, after minor adjustments, those songs would form the third album. Exploring shoegaze, Stereolab-inspired space, and raw hard rock, 333 emerged in 2021 as the band's broadest statement yet. As restrictions eased, Ubovich returned to the earlier recordings and finished them in the studio, only to face a prolonged illness that required months of hospitalization and rehabilitation to regain mobility and guitar technique. He set his sights on recovering in time for a previously scheduled Fuzz tour, achieved that milestone, and then oversaw final mixing of the album now titled Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom. In the Red issued it in early 2024, with the band extending further into shoegaze, dream pop, and expansive 1990s alternative rock reminiscent of Jane's Addiction and Smashing Pumpkins while retaining psychedelic and metallic textures.
The project first assembled in mid-2012 while Ubovich handled guitar duties for Mikal Cronin's touring ensemble. During a break between Cronin's road commitments, Ubovich began performing alongside Cory Hanson of Wand, Erik Jimenez, and Riley Youngdahl under the name Chad & the Meatbodies. Ty Segall took notice and issued a cassette-only set of home recordings on God? Records. The limited tape sold out rapidly, prompting Segall to enlist Ubovich on bass for his band Fuzz in 2013. In the Red soon discovered the recordings and issued two tracks from the now-unavailable cassette as a 7" single in early 2014. The self-titled Meatbodies album followed later that year. Although Hanson, Jimenez, and Youngdahl contributed to its sessions, Ubovich assembled a permanent touring lineup featuring Patrick Nolan on guitar, Killian LeDuke on bass, and Ryan Moutinho on drums.
Once the album and its supporting tour concluded, Ubovich resumed sideman work, playing bass on Fuzz's 2015 release II and rejoining Mikal Cronin on the road. After recruiting bassist Kevin Boog and issuing the "Hibernation" single in 2016, the band recorded its second album, Alice, a conceptual work addressing topics such as war, sex, politics, and religion. In the Red Records released it in early 2017. Following the subsequent tour, Ubovich stepped away from the cycle of chemically fueled overexertion and adopted a sober routine. This change triggered an outpouring of new material, including sessions with drummer Dylan Fujioka that were nearly ready for mixing when the pandemic halted the project. During lockdown, Ubovich revisited a lo-fi 2018 demo he had made with Fujioka and determined that, after minor adjustments, those songs would form the third album. Exploring shoegaze, Stereolab-inspired space, and raw hard rock, 333 emerged in 2021 as the band's broadest statement yet. As restrictions eased, Ubovich returned to the earlier recordings and finished them in the studio, only to face a prolonged illness that required months of hospitalization and rehabilitation to regain mobility and guitar technique. He set his sights on recovering in time for a previously scheduled Fuzz tour, achieved that milestone, and then oversaw final mixing of the album now titled Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom. In the Red issued it in early 2024, with the band extending further into shoegaze, dream pop, and expansive 1990s alternative rock reminiscent of Jane's Addiction and Smashing Pumpkins while retaining psychedelic and metallic textures.
Albums
Singles
