The story of Unicorns at Heart begins with family. Rico and Ryan Loredo front the band, two brothers from the dry lands of Hesperia, CA, a desert town several hours northeast of Los Angeles. Their love of music flourished into colourful, meticulously-constructed indie rock landscapes filled with kaleidoscopes of radiant guitar, eloquent synth, and subdued vocals.
Rico and Ryan grew up immersed in the melodies and harmonies of classic Beatles, Beach Boys, and Motown while simultaneously fostering a love for the crucial innovations of Pavement, The Pixies, and Sonic Youth. Unicorns at Heart began over Thanksgiving break in 2015 when the Loredo brothers convened with their nephew Gabriel Loredo in the family garage and began writing songs based on their shared musical inspirations. They were soon generating a wealth of original material and welcomed high school friend and prodigious young drummer Jordan Radnoti into the band. The lack of venues and spaces in Hesperia propelled them to begin performing live all over Pomona, Riverside, Monrovia, and San Bernardino in myriad backyards and D.I.Y. spaces, accompanied by a steady output of Bandcamp releases.
Fixture is Unicorns at Heart’s Dangerbird Records debut single for the Microdose series, a sprawling song of wiry guitar and bouncing piano. Somber melody brings calm before we’re met by the crashing chorus. You can check out the video clip for Fixture via YouTube below, which takes you through an alley into the bands practice space – the comfort of their garage.
Their follow-up single You’re a Mirror, Baby is a condensed blast of indie rock catchiness, recalling both the explosive energy of Dinosaur Jr. and the sophistication of Elliott Smith. Both songs transcend their lo-fi origins through sheer songwriting prowess to establish Unicorns at Heart’s sound as uniquely their own.
