Tanlines

Brooklyn duo Tanlines have a textural sound that combines proggy electro jams with dancey, tropical pop. In 2012, they hit number 8 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Albums chart with their debut Mixed Emotions. They have continued to hone their sound, as on 2015′s upbeat and clubby Highlights and 2023′s more muted The Big Mess.
Formed in 2008, Tanlines started as a remix project by vocalist/guitarist Eric Emm (Don Caballero, Storm & Stress, Brothers) and percussionist Jesse Cohen (Professor Murder) that involved friends singing over their music. It evolved quickly into a band, with Emm taking the frontman role and singing the majority of their debut EP, Settings, which was released in March of 2010 on True Panther.
After returning from a European tour supporting the record, the duo found that the building that housed their home studio had been sold, which lent the sessions for their first full-length album a poignant gravity and the music reflected the displacement and subsequent maturation of the band. The resulting Mixed Emotions was mixed by Jimmy Douglass (Timbaland, Roxy Music, Aaliyah) and released in early 2012 on True Panther. It reached number two on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart and 8 on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart..
Their follow-up LP Highlights arrived in 2015 and further showcased their buoyant and club-friendly brand of danceable indie-pop. In they years following the album’s release, Emm moved to Connecticut with his family, while Cohen stayed in New York working in marketing and launching a podcast. Emm kept writing songs, but it would be eight years before the duo returned to the studio. In 2023, they released their third album, The Big Mess. Co-produced with Patrick Ford and mixed by Peter Katis, it showcased a moodier, more introspective sound than their past work. ~ Matt Collar & Jason Lymangrover