Biography
Shutups craft indie rock that balances meticulous construction with pop instincts, driven by robust guitar work and a subtly unhinged undertow. The band delights in clever melodies while embracing the rebellious streak running through both their sound and words, taking aim at technology, capitalism, and the excesses of modern life. Their debut full-length, Every Day I'm Less Zen from 2019, relied on additional players and studio resources to expand the core duo, whereas the 2022 follow-up I Can't Eat as Much as I Want to Vomit benefited from richer studio treatment and a quartet configuration that yielded greater sonic depth.
The group originated in Oakland, California, during 2015 when guitarist and vocalist Hadley Davis teamed with drummer Mia Wood. The pair had been college friends yet lost touch for two years before reconnecting, at which point Davis proposed they begin creating music together. Though both had participated in high-school bands, neither had performed with any seriousness for quite some time; Davis took up guitar duties while Wood taught herself the drums and progressed rapidly. By March 2016 the Shutups issued their earliest material, the four-song EP 1. Over the next two years the duo maintained an intense pace, issuing four standalone singles—one of them a frenzied reading of ABBA’s “Mamma Mia”—alongside three additional EPs.
In July 2019 the Shutups presented their first album, Every Day I'm Less Zen, helmed by producer Cody Votolato, previously associated with the Blood Brothers, Jaguar Love, and Waxwing. A small run of copies sold directly by the band included a bonus flexidisc containing “Sancho’s Review.” Although still operating as a duo, they enlisted friends Bud Armienti and Ian Idels to handle bass during the sessions. Strong reviews and favorable accounts of their live performances attracted the attention of the independent imprint Kill Rock Stars, which released the band’s fifth EP, simply titled 5. That record contained “Can You Dance to a Feeling,” later reinterpreted across the seventeen-track remix collection CYDTAF?.
When the COVID-19 pandemic halted touring in 2020, the Shutups turned their focus to recording, resulting in EPs 6 and 7 appearing just a week apart in November 2021. Those releases also marked the arrival of two new members—Eric Stafford on guitar and keyboards, plus Bud Armienti on bass—joining Davis and Wood. The band supported the EPs with several inventive, low-budget videos: chain-mail armor and medieval motifs for “Can You Dance to a Feeling,” a rudimentary digital-animation party scene for “Televised Hit and Run,” and green-screen experiments for “NSA (Corporate Holidays).” October 2022 brought the band’s first Kill Rock Stars long-player, I Can't Eat as Much as I Want to Vomit, followed by a short series of West Coast live dates.
The group originated in Oakland, California, during 2015 when guitarist and vocalist Hadley Davis teamed with drummer Mia Wood. The pair had been college friends yet lost touch for two years before reconnecting, at which point Davis proposed they begin creating music together. Though both had participated in high-school bands, neither had performed with any seriousness for quite some time; Davis took up guitar duties while Wood taught herself the drums and progressed rapidly. By March 2016 the Shutups issued their earliest material, the four-song EP 1. Over the next two years the duo maintained an intense pace, issuing four standalone singles—one of them a frenzied reading of ABBA’s “Mamma Mia”—alongside three additional EPs.
In July 2019 the Shutups presented their first album, Every Day I'm Less Zen, helmed by producer Cody Votolato, previously associated with the Blood Brothers, Jaguar Love, and Waxwing. A small run of copies sold directly by the band included a bonus flexidisc containing “Sancho’s Review.” Although still operating as a duo, they enlisted friends Bud Armienti and Ian Idels to handle bass during the sessions. Strong reviews and favorable accounts of their live performances attracted the attention of the independent imprint Kill Rock Stars, which released the band’s fifth EP, simply titled 5. That record contained “Can You Dance to a Feeling,” later reinterpreted across the seventeen-track remix collection CYDTAF?.
When the COVID-19 pandemic halted touring in 2020, the Shutups turned their focus to recording, resulting in EPs 6 and 7 appearing just a week apart in November 2021. Those releases also marked the arrival of two new members—Eric Stafford on guitar and keyboards, plus Bud Armienti on bass—joining Davis and Wood. The band supported the EPs with several inventive, low-budget videos: chain-mail armor and medieval motifs for “Can You Dance to a Feeling,” a rudimentary digital-animation party scene for “Televised Hit and Run,” and green-screen experiments for “NSA (Corporate Holidays).” October 2022 brought the band’s first Kill Rock Stars long-player, I Can't Eat as Much as I Want to Vomit, followed by a short series of West Coast live dates.
Albums
Singles
