Pepper Rabbit

Los Angeles-based pop outfit Pepper Rabbit, made up of multi-instrumentalists Xander Singh and Luc Laurent, assemble rich and whimsical sonic environments drawing on an eclectic mix that includes brass, orchestral strings, and classic analog synthesizers. The group takes its name from one of Singh’s briefly owned pets and came together once Xander concluded a period of solo work that included the 2006 release Whik. While visiting Boston, Singh met Luc Laurent through a shared acquaintance, and the two quickly recognized a shared musical outlook. Singh later headed to New Orleans to lay down an album, with Laurent accompanying him to assist in the studio; the collaboration soon transformed the solo effort into Pepper Rabbit’s debut full-length, Beauregard, issued in 2010. The record earned strong critical notices, and after Laurent relocated to Los Angeles upon finishing his studies in Boston, the duo began performing regularly across the West Coast while also touring nationally, both headlining and supporting Ra Ra Riot, Givers, Passion Pit, and Miniature Tigers. Onstage, Pepper Rabbit were occasionally augmented by a third multi-instrumentalist, Jonathan Allen, who enabled the pair to approximate their recorded textures in a live setting. In 2011, amid breaks from touring, the band put out the EP Rose Mary Stretch, followed in August by their second album, Red Velvet Snow Ball. That project was tracked at a Washington facility, with further work completed in Singh’s home studio, and appeared on the Brooklyn indie imprint Kanine Records.