Merging the talents of two pop-punk frontmen, Los Angeles-based outfit
Simple Creatures is influenced by synth pop and new wave, updating that aesthetic with a polished pop sheen that slides in alongside acts like
Skyward Story,
the Summer Set, and
Anarbor. Formed by
blink-182's
Mark Hoppus and
All Time Low's
Alex Gaskarth,
Simple Creatures debuted in 2019 with the single "Drug" from the EP
Strange Love.
A culmination of years of friendship and mutual appreciation, the seed of
Simple Creatures was planted in 2016 when
Hoppus and
Gaskarth were tourmates with their respective bands. Heavily influenced by
the Cure, they decided to create a side project indebted to their favorite '80s sounds, modernized with a pop-tinged sheen. Announcing the band in early 2019, they issued their first single, "Drug," which appeared on debut EP
Strange Love (BMG). A second EP,
Everything Opposite, arrived later that October. ~ Neil Z. Yeung