Sir Sly formed out in Los Angeles, California in 2012. Fronted by lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Landon Jacobs and backed by instrumentalists Jason Suwito and Hayden Coplen, the SoCal synth-rock band started out incognito; after finishing work on their debut single, “Ghost,” they were satisfied with it, but was it as good as they thought?
In order to answer this question, they sent the single out to a few of their friends who ran music blogs at the time: anonymously. “We sent ‘Ghost’ to them without telling them it was us because we didn’t want them to post it just out of friendship,” said Jacobs in a 2014 interview with the Colorado Springs Independent. Positive comments flowed in, and so formed Sir Sly’s early following.
The band really broke out with their 2013 single, “Gold,” which climbed the alternative charts, peaking at the 27 spot on Billboard’s Alternative Songs. If you haven’t heard it, give it a play. However, most know Sir Sly better for their most popular single, “High.” “High” was a huge summer hit in the alternative genre last year, staying on SiriusXM’s Alt 18 Countdown for 19 weeks, and holding the number two spot for three of them. Just last week, the group released their own remix of The Knocks’ “Ride or Die,” featuring Foster the People. The track is, in true Sir Sly fashion, a mellowed out version of the peppy tune (their sound has been described before as “Maroon 5 on heroin”).
Sir Sly is currently touring around the U.S. with their latest album, “Don’t You Worry, Honey.” You can catch them in Austin at The Parish next Thursday for a 101X Presents show, and again in October on their return to town for this year’s Austin City Limits music festival.
