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After the excellent Radio DDR, re-released in an extended version with three additional tracks at the beginning of 2025, Kai Slater closes out the year with a record that's still steeped in the colourful and bouncy lo-fi pop of the '60s. Following in the footsteps of The Lemon Twigs, his slightly older peers from New York City, the prolific Chicagoan is entering his twenties with an intense creative energy. He's already the guitarist for Lifeguard, the creator of the fanzine Hallogallo (which documents Chicago's bustling underground art scene), and a passionate devotee of mods and '70s punk.
No less than 21 pieces make up Balloon Balloon Balloon—though some are barely a minute long. Written between January and May, the songs were recorded partly at home in Chicago and partly in Washington with producer Hayes Waring in a small studio. One thing is certain: you can hear it. The album is raw and electric—this lo-fi collection of power-pop miniatures pulls us into the excited, romantic youth of an author in the middle of an epiphany. Still going strong with the wah-wah ("Popafangout"), veering into Beatles-esque territory ("I Don't Have the Heart"), and diving into hypnotic, psychedelic pop ("(In a While) You’ll Be Mine"), Slater dreams of love (the misty "Queen of Globes and Mirrors") and slips into melancholy in the voice-and-guitar ballad "Maria Don't." The record is proof that fresh, incisive songwriting doesn’t need polish or big resources to produce small miracles. © Charlotte Saintoin/Qobuz
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Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Recording & Mixing, Drums, Voice & Bass, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Joe Glass, Bass - Captain Tripps Ballsington, Mixer - Peter Cimbalo, Drums - Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Vocals, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist - Hayes Waring, Recorded by
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Recording & Mixing, Drums, Voice & Bass, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Recording & Mixing, Drums, Voice & Bass, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Fred Thomas, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Recording & Mixing, Drums, Voice & Bass, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Recording & Mixing, Drums, Voice & Bass, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Recording & Mixing, ComposerLyricist - Grace Conrad, AssociatedPerformer - Sharp Pins, MainArtist
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Recording & Mixing, Drums, Voice & Bass, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Recording & Mixing, Drums, Voice & Bass, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Recording & Mixing, Drums, Voice & Bass, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Joe Glass, Vocals, Bass - Captain Tripps Ballsington, Mixer - Peter Cimbalo, Drums & Voice - Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Voice, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist - Hayes Waring, Recorded by
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Recording & Mixing, Drums, Voice & Bass, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Recording & Mixing, Drums, Voice & Bass, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Recording & Mixing, ComposerLyricist - Grace Conrad, AssociatedPerformer - Sharp Pins, MainArtist
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Recording & Mixing, Drums, Voice & Bass, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Joe Glass, Vocals, Bass - Captain Tripps Ballsington, Mixer - Peter Cimbalo, Drums & Voice - Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Vocals, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist - Hayes Waring, Recorded by
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Recording & Mixing, Drums, Voice & Bass, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Recording & Mixing, Drums, Voice & Bass, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Vocals, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist - Hayes Waring, Recording & Mixing
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Guitar, Recording & Mixing, Drums, Voice & Bass, ComposerLyricist - Sharp Pins, MainArtist
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Amy Dragon, Masterer - Kai Slater, Recording & Mixing, ComposerLyricist - Grace Conrad, AssociatedPerformer - Sharp Pins, MainArtist
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Review: Sharp Pins - Balloon Balloon Balloon
After the excellent Radio DDR, re-released in an extended version with three additional tracks at the beginning of 2025, Kai Slater closes out the year with a record that's still steeped in the colourful and bouncy lo-fi pop of the '60s. Following in the footsteps of The Lemon Twigs, his slightly older peers from New York City, the prolific Chicagoan is entering his twenties with an intense creative energy. He's already the guitarist for Lifeguard, the creator of the fanzine Hallogallo (which documents Chicago's bustling underground art scene), and a passionate devotee of mods and '70s punk.
No less than 21 pieces make up Balloon Balloon Balloon—though some are barely a minute long. Written between January and May, the songs were recorded partly at home in Chicago and partly in Washington with producer Hayes Waring in a small studio. One thing is certain: you can hear it. The album is raw and electric—this lo-fi collection of power-pop miniatures pulls us into the excited, romantic youth of an author in the middle of an epiphany. Still going strong with the wah-wah ("Popafangout"), veering into Beatles-esque territory ("I Don't Have the Heart"), and diving into hypnotic, psychedelic pop ("(In a While) You’ll Be Mine"), Slater dreams of love (the misty "Queen of Globes and Mirrors") and slips into melancholy in the voice-and-guitar ballad "Maria Don't." The record is proof that fresh, incisive songwriting doesn’t need polish or big resources to produce small miracles. © Charlotte Saintoin/Qobuz
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 21 track(s)
- Total length: 00:43:31
- Main artists: Sharp Pins
- Composer: Sharp Pins
- Label: Perennial - K Records
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock Alternative & Indie
2025 perennial 2025 perennial
Distinctions:
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