In-Sides: Bay Area band In-Sides craft a sound steeped in shoegaze and psych-pop, drawing on themes of introspection, isolation, and self-searching. The band’s music was born out of a reaction, rather than a conscious effort, when songwriter Stephen Fong -- who worked mostly as a producer assisting other artists find their visions -- began to pile up songs, pushing him to explore his own.

What started off as a glorified scratch pad evolved into a more complex channel for expression-forming songs to ask and answer life’s questions, big or small, through the lens of the band. Fong’s vocals are soft-spoken and unimposing, carrying the spirit of the early recordings often made in the quiet of night when the world’s noise dies down and inner voices rise. Whether it’s through tender melodies or climatic washes of guitar the pendulum of In-Side’s music swings constantly, ever defining the boundaries of Fong’s own artistic voice.

by Mike Mineo - Obscure Sound