Follow Friday: The Airborne Toxic Event, Sunflower Bean, Post Animal and More

The Airborne Toxic Event

Formed by novelist Mikel Jollett during a rocky period of his life, The Airborne Toxic Event combines indie rock with literary inspiration. Originally a duo, the band quickly expanded by bringing violin/keys player Anna Bulbrook, jazz bassist Noah Harmon, and Steven Chen on guitar into the mix.  After some serious buzz by Rolling Stone and a few indie labels, the Event found themselves on a quick path to success, solidified by the single, “Sometime Around Midnight,” which became a Top Ten modern rock hit and inked them a deal with Island Records. Their third record release, Such Hot Blood, peaked at 27 on the Billboard 200 charts. The band’s latest release on Epic Records titled Dope Machines featured a single “One Time Thing” which you can check out above.

The Airborne Toxic Event uses Ernie Ball Regular Slinky, Beefy Slinky, Bass Super Slinky, and Earthwood Med Light Phosphor Bronze Set.

Listen to top tracks by the band below and add a song to your playlist today.

Sunflower Bean

Indie rock trio from NYC, Sunflower Bean, formed in 2013 and is made up of singer-guitarist Nick Kivlen, singer-bassist Julia Cummings, and drummer Jacob Faber. The band met in high school and quickly gained attention by blending alternative rock edge with dreamy guitar tones, and opening for bands like The Vaccines, Best Coast, Pixies, and Wolf Alice. Now in their early 20s and on their sophomore record titled twentytwo, Sunflower Bean worked with Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Jacob Portrait and Matt Molnar, formerly of Friends. Check out the official music video for their single “I Was A Fool” above.

Sunflower Bean count on Ernie Ball Regular Slinky and Bass Hybrid Slinky.

Listen to top tracks by Sunflower Bean below and catch them in a city near you with Cage The Elephant.

Post Animal

Chi-town’s dynamic prog-rock outfit Post Animal has been blowing up on the scene, playing festivals such as Lollapoolza, and touring with fellow Chicago friends Twin Peaks. The group has had newfound attention as a result of member Joe Keery’s acting career as the character Steve Harrington on the Netflix show Stranger Things. Now on Polyvinyl Records, the group released their debut full length album titled When I Think Of You In A Castle, which has received praise for its unique blend of prog, heavy riffs, and classic 70s rock sound. Recently, the band has begun writing songs for their follow up release.

Post Animal rip the gig with Ernie Ball Regular Slinky, Power Slinky, and Regular Cobalt Flatwound Bass strings.

Listen to top tracks by Post Animal below and share a song with a friend today.

Tigercub

Brash alt trio from Brighton, Tigercub is bored and worried about the state of punk rock conforming to a conservative approach. Blending hard hitting drums, growly low guitar tones, and breakbeat rhythms, Tigercub set it all on fire with their noise rock style on their latest record titled Abstract Figures In The Dark. With 12 tracks of heavy riffs, the band increasingly makes themselves a band of contradictory and contrasting concepts, both musically and lyrically. Take a listen to one of their singles titled “Control” above and bang your head to some head-bobbing rhythms and riffage.

Tigercub counts on Ernie Ball Not Even Slinky and Regular Bass Slinky.

Listen to top tracks by Tigercub below and vibe out on the freeway.

Vista Kicks

Sacramento, Calif. born quartet, Vista Kicks (and their band dog, Charlie), have been making a name for themselves in the world of retro-inspired root rock. Their second album, Twenty Something Nightmare, was released mid-2018 and the band hasn’t taken a break since. After doing a run of opening slots on fellow Ernie Ballers Bad Suns’ 2019 US tour, the boys headed off on their own for a run of a few key states. This summer, they’re heading to the UK for a month of one-off and festival performances. Check out the band’s single, “Gotta Get Away,” above and get your body moving.

Vista Kicks use Ernie Ball Paradigm Power Slinky,  Paradigm Med Light Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Strings, and Regular Bass Slinky.

Listen to top tracks by Vista Kicks below and add them to your playlist today.