Pink Mountaintops

Stephen McBean channels his darker musical impulses through Black Mountain, whereas Pink Mountaintops serves as an outlet for his lighter, more playful concepts. Both projects reflect his affinity for psychedelic sounds laced with trippy elements, yet Pink Mountaintops steers clear of Black Mountain's doom-laden atmosphere to incorporate a broader spectrum of influences, paired with lyrics that whimsically explore his interests in musicians and youthful subcultures. On their 2004 self-titled debut and the 2006 follow-up Axis of Evol, McBean along with his fellow musicians blended lo-fi production values and arrangements alongside elements of lysergic Americana. The 2014 release Get Back channeled McBean's songcraft through robust rock guitar work, while Peacock Pools from 2022 incorporated folk, pop, old-school electronics, and echoes of classic rock.

Originating in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Pink Mountaintops sprang from Stephen McBean, who also sings, writes songs, and plays guitar in Black Mountain. The latter previously operated as Jerk with a Bomb, while McBean's solo endeavor once bore the name One Easy Skag. He joined Jerk with a Bomb in the late 1990s, during which time the group produced three albums and a single 7-inch. Late in 2003 the two projects received their mountainous rebrandings, and Pink Mountaintops issued its self-titled debut the following summer. That record ranked among 2005's standout indie rock releases, leading McBean to reconvene the band for Axis of Evol the next year. Though Black Mountain's In the Future occupied him through 2008, Pink Mountaintops resurfaced in 2009 with Outside Love, an album praised for ranging from country-tinged melodies to howling feedback.

After Black Mountain delivered Wilderness Heart in 2010 and Year Zero: The Original Soundtrack in 2012, McBean returned to his other project for Pink Mountaintops' fourth studio album, Get Back, which surfaced in early 2014. The sessions featured Dead Meadow bassist Steve Kille, Brian Jonestown Massacre drummer Dan Allaire, and Gregg Foreman, formerly of the Delta 72. McBean again placed Pink Mountaintops on hold to finish Black Mountain's IV in 2016 and Destroyer in 2019. In 2020 he settled into a ranch house in Arcadia, California, and turned one bedroom into a home studio. When the COVID-19 pandemic canceled touring, McBean began crafting new material on-site and invited contributions from friends and colleagues likewise freed from schedules. The resulting sessions became Peacock Pools, the 2022 Pink Mountaintops album that mixes rock, folk, electronics, and metal while hosting Steven McDonald of Redd Kross and Dale Crover of the Melvins; Dave "Rave" Ogilvie of Skinny Puppy handled the mixing.