Beach Bunny (w/ Wednesday, Ky Voss)

A Chicago indie surf-pop project led by singer/songwriter Lili Trifilio, Beach Bunny built a sturdy grassroots following in the late 2010s with a series of self-released EPs and singles that eventually culminated in a record deal from Mom + Pop Records. The New York indie label issued the band’s debut album, Honeymoon, in 2020, followed a year later by the Blame Game EP.

Initially a solo bedroom pop project, Trifilio’s early Beach Bunny releases, like 2015’s Aminalism (2015) and Pool Party (2016), were largely acoustic and full of moody introspection. With the addition of rhythm section Aiden Cada (bass) and Jon Alvarado (drums), and guitarist Matt Henkels, things began to skew more toward fuzzy ’90s-indebted indie pop and in 2018, the band landed a streaming hit with the infectious title cut from their 2018 EP, Prom Queen. After Anthony Vaccaro replaced Cada on bass, Beach Bunny had gained enough momentum that labels began to take notice and they soon joined the Mom + Pop roster, which released their full-length debut, Honeymoon, in February 2020. More muscular in production, the album showcased Trifilio’s sharp songwriting and the band’s increased cohesion. One year later, Beach Bunny returned with a four-song EP, Blame Game, which centered around themes of toxic masculinity and relationships.