Los Angeles’s Oh No Not Stereo, formed in 2003 by Skyler Nielsen and Mykul Lee, are an independent band by every definition of the term. Since the release of the group's debut, 001, in 2005, the duo has embraced an ever-changing music industry and continuously seeks new, innovative means of creating and releasing content.
Skyler and Mykul spent most of 2010 writing new material for their fifth release and third full-length, InCaseOfStaresUseFire. Throughout the year the pair accumulated over 50 new songs that they kept track of on a white board in their kitchen. That was the easy part. By the end of the year, as the duo prepared to fly producer Jayson DeZuzio (Foxy Shazam, Coheed and Cambria) out to LA from New Jersey, the great task became how to sift through these tracks and find a cohesive album.
In the end, ten songs were recorded over the course of six weeks in early 2011, both in the band's home studio and SoundFactory studios in Hollywood (this time adding guitarist Jussi Karvinen in the mix as the third leg to the writing, pre-production and recording process.) The new record, meant to be experienced as a complete album, offers a dynamic range, veering from the propulsive rock of the album opener "Make My Move" to the angular heaviness of "Behind Closed Doors" to the ballad "Brighterside". There's a notable thematic variety to the songs as well, but the common thread is that of positivity.
"We take a lot of pride in being independent, which allows us to do whatever we want musically," Skyler says. "No two songs on this record are about the same thing or same person, yet each song was written in confidence that the listener will be able to relate."
Additionally, the band spent 12 weeks this summer conceptualizing and filming a music video for every song on the album. The intention: To infuse the record with additional life and offer visual experiences that parallel the meanings of the tracks. As an added bonus, the video for "All You" will be included in the upcoming premiere episode of MTV's reboot of Beavis and Butthead.
The disc follows the band's last full-length, 2009's 003, also self-released, which sold 15,000-plus copies and spent seven weeks on CMJ's Top 200. Songs from that album, as well as previous releases, have appeared on TV shows like The Real World, Punk'd, The Daily 10 and LA Ink. ONNS have also toured extensively in North America, Canada and the U.K. with bands like The All-American Rejects, Bayside and The Photo Atlas.
We've been around for a while and we're definitely not about to go away," Mykul says. "You can always expect something a little different from us. We keep it fresh and don't abide by standards put in place by any record label. We’re doing this for ourselves and for our fans. The boundaries of this industry need to be challenged and that's exactly what we're trying to do."