The Small Square

Formed by Paul Chastain, co-founder of Velvet Crush, and John Louis Richardson, an affiliate of Gin Blossoms, the Small Square channels the warm, affectionate jangle once heard in Big Star and Badfinger. The power pop duo first surfaced with a self-titled album in 2015 and resurfaced years later with the broader release Ours & Others in 2023.

Serving as the duo’s lead singer and bassist, Chastain helped establish the 1990s power pop revivalists Velvet Crush and has since collaborated with Matthew Sweet, Susanna Hoffs, Tommy Keene, and additional artists. Richardson, who owns Drum Farm Studio in Wisconsin and handles drums and vocals for the project, has appeared alongside Gin Blossoms, Joey Molland of Badfinger, Keene, and numerous other performers. Working under the Small Square name, the pair tracked their first effort at Drum Farm; issued exclusively on CD by the Japanese imprint Moorworks in 2015, that debut album stayed largely unnoticed. When the musicians reconvened to record again, they brought in Molland, R. Walt Vincent (known for work with Liz Phair and Pete Yorn), Cory Wong (associated with Vulfpeck and Bootsy Collins), Velvet Crush’s Jeffrey Underhill, several members of Shoes, and further seasoned players. The sessions yielded Ours & Others, which Farm to Label Records issued in October 2023.