Sea Lions

Armed with a shambly, reverb-kissed sound that nodded to any number of seminal indie pop acts including Orange Juice, Black Tambourine, the Field Mice, and the Wedding Present, Oxnard, CA's the Sea Lions officially got their start in 2007 as Adrian Pillado's solo project. Pillado teamed up with Matthew Urango (guitar), Kyle Zufolo (bass/organ), Pat Partida (drums), and Nick Hessler (tambourine) soon after, and the newly formed group spent the next few years recording a handful of demos. Their first "official" release, a 7" EP entitled Let's Groove, was released on YAY! Records in 2009. The band played sporadic shows (including the NYC Popfest in spring of 2010) and Pillado spent time home recording new songs and sharing them via Facebook. After signing to Slumberland in early 2011, the band readied their debut full-length Everything You Always Wanted To Know About the Sea Lions But Were Afraid To Ask, which was released in late fall.