Having formed Chairlift in Boulder, CO, Aaron Pfenning, Patrick Wimberly and Caroline Polachek didn’t linger there long. By 2007, they are Brooklyn based and drawing inspiration from their new surroundings, playing shows with a thriving society of experimental pop magicians including MGMT, Yeasayer and Mixel Pixel. Their sound develops into a hypnotic yet tongue-in-cheek style of synth-pop.
With their first official release (“Evident Utensil” single Jan. ‘08), the world started to take notice. The NME called it “a charming pop oddity,” Exclaim! gave it “immediate cult status,” and RCRDLBL.com deemed it “the best single from a Brooklyn band since like TV on the Radio or something.” Comparisons were made to The Knife, Of Montreal, and Yaz(!). It is a French website however, that got it best, citing Chairlift is “just as at home in a David Lynch film as in the aisles of a supermarket.” (Les Inrocks)
With the release of their debut album, Does You Inspire You, set for fall 2008, Chairlift spent the summer on tour with Ariel Pink and booked northeast fall dates with Yeasayer and a first European tour in November.
In September 2008, “Bruises” was featured in the new iPod Nano TV commercial. The band promptly got written up on tons of blogs, including PerezHilton.com.
