OG Quick Take: Sharp Pins - Balloon Balloon Balloon

Happy Thanksgiving! This is a week when we take a breath, give thanks, and indulge in some of our favorite holiday traditions – family gatherings, football, turkey, and for me, rewatching notable Thanksgiving movie The Last Waltz.

The music industry also takes a break this week, as new releases are sparse. So for our latest Quick Take we’re looking at an album that was released last week – Sharp Pins’ Balloon Balloon Balloon.

Sharp Pins is the solo project of Kai Slater, singer/guitarist for the Chicago noise-rock band Lifeguard. Slater had a busy 2025. Sharp Pins’ 2024 album Radio DDR was reissued in March, Lifeguard’s Ripped and Torn was released in June, and now we have Balloon Balloon Balloon.

The new Sharp Pins album mixes lo-fi jangle pop with ‘60s psych-pop and garage rock, interspersed with some off-kilter experimental interludes, resulting in a great listen. It’s a pleasure to get such an enjoyable album late in the year.

Opening track “Popafangout” is a catchy pop song, while “I Don’t Have The Heart” is a shaggy Nuggets-style garage rocker. “Queen of Globes and Mirrors” and “Talking In Your Sleep” evoke the Paisley Underground bands. “Crown of Thorns” shows Slater experimenting with chords. “(In a While) You’ll Be Mine” could have been the fuzzy, daring and delightful unearthed B-side to a British Invasion one-hit wonder. “Ex-Priest/In a Hole of a Home” is the early Guided By Voices song we didn’t realize we were missing.

At only 20 years old, Kai Slater is already juggling two very different musical projects. Lifeguard is loud and abrasive, while Sharp Pins is the outlet for his low-fi guitar pop interests. He brings the latter to DC’s Comet Ping Pong in late January and I’m looking forward to checking them out. (Brian)