PUBLIC came to be when John Vaughn (lead vocals and guitar) and Ben Lapps (drums and vocals) began writing songs in a basement. Soon after, Matt Alvarado (bass, synthesizer, and vocals) joined them. With its roots in classic rock and indie/pop, the band released its first EP, Red, in 2012, solidifying a strong fan base in its hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. They quick on the road, supporting acts such as Walk the Moon, Twenty One Pilots, and Young the Giant. PUBLIC also began playing major festivals such as Forecastle, Bunbury, CMJ, and SXSW.
After the release of its second EP, Let’s Make It, and its first national tour (supporting Walk the Moon), the band was invited to work with producer Eric Palmquist (Bad Suns, the Mars Volta) in Los Angeles. While on a national tour with Oh Honey in 2015, the band released the single “Heartbeating,” to critical acclaim. PUBLIC released its most recent EP, Sweet Lemonade, in June of 2017.
Balanced at the intersection of the fearlessly avant and intimately familiar, usLights is a study in contrasts. Together, Matt Nastri and former HERRA TERRA members Gregg Kusumah-Atmadja and Shawn Pelkey, craft dreamy, often cinematic music that fuses heady sonics to a firm foundation of pop songwriting.
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