← Pitchfork Paris 2026

Kai Slater packs chiming twelve-string guitars, clipped drums, stacked harmonies and nasal, tape-blurred vocals into short power-pop songs. Sharp Pins performs as a trio, stripping densely bounced home recordings into brisk, wiry versions while retaining their mod snap and psychedelic smears.

More about Sharp Pins

Sharp Pins is Slater’s solo outlet within Chicago’s young DIY rock network; he also plays guitar and sings in Lifeguard and documents the scene through his handmade Hallogallo zine. Self-released cassette recordings led to K Records and Olympia label Perennial reissuing Radio DDR, followed by Balloon Balloon Balloon and the 2026 album Mod Mayday 23.

Playing

• 2026-11-07 · Pitchfork Avant-Garde · Supersonic · Supersonic
  Add to my plan

Labels

Start here

• Mod Mayday 23 (2026) · K Records / Perennial
  Slater’s teenage mod-pop recordings, newly issued and closest to the current set.
• Radio DDR (2025) · K Records / Perennial
  The cleanest entry into his hooks, twelve-string chime and cassette compression.
• How Can I Explain What She Does To Me? (2026) · Perennial
  A swooning preview of the forthcoming Electric My Icebox EP.

For fans of

The Beatles, Guided by Voices, Big Star, The Byrds, The Hollies

Official links

Pitchfork ParisBandcampSoundCloudInstagramSpotifyYouTubeWebsiteDiscogs

Plan Pitchfork Paris 2026 with Songpot · Ask about Sharp Pins in ChatGPT or Claude