Ed Reyes has seen things from both sides of the fence. A
former struggling indie musician who worked in the A&R department
of Warner Brothers, Reyes also fronted the Little Ones, a band on
EMI-owned Astralwerks. That is, until the band forced him to quit the
industry, and then the industry forced the label to drop the band.
Funny how things work out.
But this isn’t a tale of another deserving band getting the
axe—even if a member of said band spent time sharpening the
axe—in fact, Reyes is pretty thankful for the whole thing. “We
already had an album in the can, and it was supposed to be released in
April, then we were told that we had been released from our contract.
But the good thing is they were gracious enough to get the masters
back.”
Besides, the corporate music world couldn’t be further from Reyes’
intentions to pen the most pristine pop songs imaginable, which are at
the very core of the Little Ones. The group itself started as a secret,
perhaps for fear it would catch the ears of his coworkers, the
desperate folks in the sinking ship that is a corporate record label.
“I saw all these bad bands getting peddled and getting released,” says
Reyes. “I wanted to start writing songs and release something, it
inspired me. All the while, I didn’t tell anybody I was in a band. I
just wanted to work.”
The record in question, Morning Tide, will have an eventual
release sometime this year, but in the meantime the Los Angeles band is
touring in promotion of a self-released EP, on their Branches Recording
Collective imprint, Terry Tales and Fallen Gates. On Terry
Tales, Reyes calmly delivers upbeat melodies throughout bouncy
vintage pop—think a jittery Zombies, a less whimsical Elephant
Six act, or the Shins with a pulse—that is right at home in the
sun-soaked California sprawl.
The band’s modest success was birthed from their initial failure.
“We couldn’t even get a show,” says Reyes. “Not even in Los Angeles.”
So the band took to the web and caught the ear of an entire community
that never knew of their humble existence. Blogs championed the band,
and the hometown LA shows turned into national tours alongside the
likes of the French Kicks and the Futureheads. There was an appearance
at Bonnaroo and that hot-shit Crystal Castles remix of their “Lovers
Who Uncover,” not to mention all the British media hyperbole and fervor
directed at the band from across the pond. Reyes sums up the experience
of going from the unknown to the known in such a sort amount of time:
“With the internet, our music traveled further than we ever could”
After their music traveled, the Little Ones followed, packing up
their sunny pop and heading to Europe, where, still to this day, their
music is best received. Says Reyes, “I have no idea why that is, maybe
it’s the weird mythical perception of the California sunshine?”
While their domestic travels have been modest, the band is fresh off
a European arena tour alongside Kaiser Chiefs, a dizzying experience
Reyes simply describes as “pretty crazy.” But the band isn’t seeking
that sort of attention here in the states—not just yet—and
with the label drama in their wake, the band looks forward to the
current US tour. As Reyes explains, “As long as there’s people there,
it’s not so bad. It is like a new beginning.”