Their music is similar to fellow west coast band, Foster The People, with the effortless, summery indie rock yet it is combined with the electro influences that inform Passion Pit and Jukebox the Ghost. Their shimmery, upbeat and cheerful songs are perfect sunshine grooves.
Having already played in various bands for several years, Mike Kamerman (guitar), from New Jersey, US and Sean Scanlon (vocals/keyboards), from New York, US, relocated to Los Angeles in an attempt to better their musical careers. Here they met with Joseph Intile (bass guitar) and Beau Kuher (drums), two musicians from Oregon, and formed the band, Smallpools in 2013.
Connecting with the production trio, Captain Cuts, the band recorded their first single, "Dreaming," which was released initially online on May 16th, 2013. The song went on to become an internet hit, reaching the number one position on The Hype Machine for most played track, as well as later peaking at number 23 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. The single was the first release off their debut EP, "Have a Great Summer" which came out later that year, released on RCA Records.
The song's success led to it being chosen to feature in the season five premiere of the television show, The Vampire Diaries, as well as featuring on EA Sport's FIFA '14 video game soundtrack. Another song from their EP, "Over and Over" was used by Snapchat for a promotional video, helping to spread their music to a wider audience.
The band have embarked on several tours, including support slots for Two Door Cinema Club, Neon Trees and Walk the Moon, as well as a festival appearance at Lollapalooza. Their live performances are known to include a rather unusual addition, with the band bringing a set of white greyhound statues with them onstage, which they have dubbed the 'Smalldogs.'
I first came across Smallpools browsing Hypmachine back about a year ago, and had a listen to Dreaming and was completely hooked on their indie synthpop sound. Sean Scanlon’s husky voice is pretty distinctive, and it’s original edge makes it really enjoyable to listen to. The multi talented instrumentalists create their alternative sound with keys, drums, and wither bass or two acoustic guitars, and their combination of acoustic and plugged in tracks makes a concert really versatile to watch and listen to.
Unfortunately when I saw them play, they were only a support act, but I must say they totally stole the show. Their energy and enthusiasm was spot on, and their dedication to every chord of their music was really powerful and made the music engaging for the audience.
Killer Whales, their new single brought the house down, and they had everyone singing along by the end. The audience were dancing with their hands in the air as the talented vocalist, Sean, signalled to the rest of the band to play the chorus over again before finishing the song. There’s definitely more exciting work to come from Smallpools, and I cant’s wait for a full length studio album.