Biography

Rewind back to 2002, before bands like The Postal Service and LCD Soundsystem normalized indie guitars over electronic beats. Burnside Project turned in an album to indie stalwart Bar/None Records. The album adventurously combined Pavement-influenced songwriting, indie guitar riffs, breakbeat electronica, ‘80s synth lines, ‘90s house beats and more. 2003’s “The Networks, The Circuits, The Streams, The Harmonies" received enthusiastic reviews from SPIN, FADER and Rolling Stone and cosigns from Cameron Crow and Rick Moody. Breakout single “Cue The Pulse To Begin” was a sync powerhouse, appearing in movies and TV shows most notably as the theme to Showtime’s Queer As Folk. They played live dates alongside acclaimed artists The Notwist, Styrofoam, DFA1979 and even new wave icons Modern English. A year later they signed to Sony and went on a sold-out tour of Japan where “Cue The Pulse To Begin” went Top 30. They dropped another album but by 2006, unable to translate their critical support into a sustainable career, they broke up. The concept of “indie synth pop” took off and today the idea of sparkling guitars over ‘80s beats is so common it's hard to remember it was once novel. Burnside Project’s impact is largely forgotten, stuck in the memories of early aughts supporters and the soundtracks of Jackie Chan movies and cable TV shows. Now, with the 20-year anniversary of that ground-breaking album looming, Burnside Project considers life in 2023.