Can you briefly describe what the song/each song is about? .

Little Games is an alternative/indie rock song based on the personal struggle of coming out of one’s shell and trying to learn how to once again love people and life in the wake of significant loss and grief. Driven by piano/guitar melodies and belted vocals, the song has an almost “power pop” type sound, and features lyrics inspired by the new friends, relationships, and experiences around the time I first moved away from my hometown for college.

Is there a particular ethos behind the single/EP/album or any particular music styles or events that inspired it?

In a general sense (event-wise), the song is inspired by the time when I had just moved away from home, along with the people I met who helped me come out of my shell a bit when I was going through a lot. Musically, it is heavily inspired by a mix of the guitar-driven alternative sound of bands like Pavement and Pixies, dueling guitar harmonies (Television, Thin Lizzy, Vampire Weekend), power pop across all eras (Tom Petty, Cheap Trick, Weezer, Best Coast, Fountains of Wayne), and 2000's radio rock with big-sounding choruses (The Killers, My Chemical Romance, Paramore, The All-American Rejects).

Were there any notable or amusing happenings surrounding the recording/production of the EP?

I moved while in the process of recording so it was self-recorded in a mix of my bedroom at my old apartment, my current bedroom, and a room in my parents' basement. There was a time when I thought I'd never finish this song and wanted to scrap it, so I stepped away for a few months and worked on some other things. I ended up hearing it when going through some demos on my computer and really liked it so I decided to finish it that night.

How and where did you get together?

I grew up in Louisville, KY, and spent all of my teens (and a few years before that) playing in rock bands. However, it wasn't until I moved to Chicago for college that I started producing and writing full songs that I actually liked.

What are the band's main influences?

Pavement, M83, Vampire Weekend, Television, Paramore, Bon Iver, Soccer Mommy, LCD Soundsystem, MGMT, The Cure, and My Chemical Romance

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