The Tins

Personal life

Life after graduation found the band tight on funds, and The Tins decided to move into a small loft above Mike Santillo, Sr.’s trucking company — a space the band has called an “unlivable hellhole,” replete with dead birds, dead mice, moldy walls, rusty pipes, and an all-encompassing inch-thick layer of dust. Determined to see their plan through, The Tins put a music career on hold and spent months gutting and fully renovating the loft, living in the Santillos’ living room for the duration. The arduous experience cemented the friends’ bond.

The trio’s hard work paid off — they now reside in a custom rehearsal studio and loft where they spend their time writing music. The Tins rehearse as loud and as often as they like — provided it’s after 5 p.m. and the trucking company below is closed. When not writing and rehearsing, the band likes to step out and enjoy the warmth and friendliness of Buffalo’s small-community vibe, and is supportive of the new music that comes from the Western New York city’s thriving arts community.

Career

The Tins put out an eponymous EP in April 2010, a work the NME called “extraordinarily moving.” Magnet lamented The Tins’ brevity: “We understand that brand-new bands usually have very little material to offer at first, but for bands like The Tins, five tracks just aren’t enough.” Entrepreneur and Napster co-founder Sean Parker discovered the EP’s standout track, “The Green Room,” and made it a staple of his Hipster International Playlist on Spotify.

In 2012, the band recorded their debut full-length release, Life’s a Gas, with producer Joe Blaney (whose past clients include: Prince, The Raveonettes, The Clash, Modest Mouse, Lauryn Hill and Blues Traveler among many others) at the helm. Life’s a Gas melded flecks of art rock, new wave, and post-punk with massively catchy alternative rock foundations. An impressed Paste noted that The Tins “give off an experienced confidence years beyond what their still small catalog suggests.” The success of Life’s a Gas enabled The Tins to showcase their wares beside many notable acts at SXSW and NXNE.

Returning to self-production for their latest EP, Young Blame, The Tins keep broadening their musical horizons. Drummer Muntner explains: “Young Blame takes what we have learned from our earlier recordings and refines the best parts, putting a greater emphasis on the vocals, the interplay between band members, the combination of electronic and organic elements, and the dynamics throughout each song.” From the anthemic indie rock of “Let It Go” to the baroque chamber pop of “Sylvia, Before the End,” the group covers a lot of ground in a short time span. New York-based music blog We All Want Someone to Shout For believes The Tins are “destined for greatness. They reach back to rock and roll origins, and deliver the goods: soulful guitar riffs and enchanting keyboard playing.”

Discography

THE TINS EP (2010) - Subtle Rattle - Backbone - The Green Room - June Avenue - Opposite C

Life’s A GAS ( 2012) - Hit and Miss - We Fought The Moon - Taking Liberties - Spies - Vicki - Midnight Crowd - Shozo Hirono - 16 Colors - Please Be Kind - Halo - Whiteout

YOUNG BLAME (2014) - Let It Go - They Aren’t Evil - If You Want To Navigate - Sylvia, Before The End

Press

“Please Be Kind” highlights the band’s unique style with an overly catchy chorus and driving rhythm section. The group clearly possesses a strong familiarity with one another as each element blends together to create a unified and satisfying sound.” - (Paste Magazine)

"Jubilant harmonies, keyboard flourishes and relentless hook-filled rhythms make selecting standouts challenging; Life's a Gas bares many." - (Performer Magazine)

"That fact is that Life’s A Gas is a pretty solid and entertaining debut and, in my opinion, outShin(e)s The Shins’ latest effort." - (The Big Takeover)

“an admirably vibrant and intriguing first offering from a band that appears to thrive on keeping listeners on their toes.” - (Brite Revolution)

“Extraordinarily moving.” – (NME)

“We understand that brand-new bands usually have very little material to offer at first, but for bands like the Tins, five tracks just aren’t enough. You’ll soon be anxiously awaiting more.” – (Magnet)

“The Green Room” is a seven-minute mini-epic that perfectly spotlights the cross section of Radiohead and Wilco that The Tins mine. The song will remind you of when Modest Mouse was at the height of its powers. Its indie rock with a twangy sad heart and it’s awesome.” – (Popstereo)

“Comparisons to Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown are inevitable, and surely welcomed by The Tins. You can do a lot worse than Spencer Krug.” – (Pretty Much Amazing)

“The Tins are bloody fantastic! A three piece out of Buffalo who might just have wandered into our new favourite band category with ease. Tight, masterfully layered jams, that build and fold into honest, captivating tracks such as these are actually very rare.” – (The Recommender (UK))

“The Green Room,” it turns out, is an epic piece of modern rock music. There are elements of new wave and progressive rock keyboards, but the song follows a wonderfully weird line of development. It sounds positively huge, a sound thrust into interstellar overdrive — freakishly strange, yet strangely familiar.” – (The Buffalo News)

“The Tins are at the top of this decade’s freshman class, and take my word when I say they are destined for greatness. They reach back to rock and roll origins, and deliver the goods: Soulful guitar riffs and enchanting keyboard playing.” – (We All Want Someone To Shout For)

“Green Room”, one of the songs off their debut EP, is a beautiful, slow building, seven minute melody based jam that the most seasoned of bands probably wish they would have come up with.” – (Baeblemusic)

“Vicki” is wonderfully infectious! The music is great and engaging. Transitions and melding of styles and sounds are done so well, you don’t even consciously notice the changes, they just are. The whole track just feels so organic and easy! It’s a great track.” – (In Your Speakers)