benches is a Southern California group consisting of Anson Kelley (vocals/guitar), Ethan Bowers (drums), Evan Ojeda (lead guitar), and Charlie Baird (bass). Reminiscent of both the ceremonious majesty of 90’s Britpop and the insouciance of 2000’s NY rock, the band’s heart is rooted in defining the sound of bittersweet: A blend of joy and sadness, wrapped up into infectious indie rock. 
Unabashedly celebrating the naivete of youth, and the excitement and worries that come with getting older, Anson Kelley frequently draws inspiration from the travails of navigating a society where norms are exploded daily, and the chaotic backdrop is full of hurdles to your sanity – from evolving technology to fragmenting social relationships.
Following the success of earlier singles such as Angry Lizard Noise and Monodrama benches worked with Grammy-nominated producer Martin Cooke on increasingly complex and nuanced songs, resulting in the release of  3 tracks in 2022, including the standout Violent.  They’re currently finishing an EP to be released this Summer to coincide with upcoming tour dates.
The band have played with notable acts such as Foster The People, Dave Keuning (The Killers) and Louis XIV, and previously toured the US with Ultra Q, I Don’t Know How But They Found Me and The Red Pears. 
 

Pleasure Pill were raised in San Diego's underground scene, spending their young adult years skating together, going to DIY punk gigs, and putting on shows in community centers. Lead singer and project founder Jonah Paz, along with his brother Ethan (rhythm guitar) and friends Luke Blake (lead guitar), Ivan Delgado (bass) and Dom Friedly (drums) learned self-sufficiency and dedication early on — ideas that drive the way they operate today. "The DIY ethos teaches you at a very young age that you have to do everything yourself because no one else is going to do it for you," says Luke. "We're not waiting on someone else to do stuff for us — we would just rather do it ourselves." Pleasure Pill are a pop band with stadium-sized ambition; they want to make the best music possible, and be as big as their idols while doing it. But they're not giving up their values.

Pleasure Pill have been playing music together since they were kids. The band were raised on the classics — Jonah is a Beatles devotee; 90s British bands are a key reference point — and you can hear devotion to melody and pop form throughout their music. Although the band started as Jonah's solo project, inspired by punk records and bands like the Prodigy, when this iteration of Pleasure Pill started in earnest, in mid-2021, classicism became a guiding principle. "This is just a rock and roll kind of band," says Jonah. "We don't want to confuse people — we just want to be as straightforward with it as possible."

"equal parts timeless pop and modern rock" – Spin Magazine

"pairing Beatles-esque harmonies with a rollicking rhythmic core and anthemic sheen" – Under the Radar

"evokes such a magnetic melody that any vintage aspirations are outmuscled by a pure, stone-cold, sonic hypnosis" – Paste Magazine

"reviving rock and roll for the next generation" – San Diego Magazine

"beseeching and moody with an optimistic undercurrent" – Early Rising