The Cupcakes

Whimsical indie-pop in the Tally Hall / AJR / Magic! lineage. Brass stabs, kazoo, bouncy upright piano, shaker, hand claps, glockenspiel, finger-snaps, big 'hey!' group shouts. Influenced by Tally Hall's theatrical group harmonies, AJR's playful arrangement-as-storytelling, They Might Be Giants' nerd whimsy, The Beach Boys' stacked vocal harmonies and call-and-response hooks. Every song is an unironic love letter to a baked good or sweet. Sensory vocabulary: warm, golden, buttery, flaky, glaze, crumb, frosting, syrup, oven-light, bite, kitchen-window sunlight. Critical lock 1: Lyrics are sincere and in-world. Never reference being a band, being cupcakes, or the act of singing about food. The cupcakes do not know they are cupcakes. Critical lock 2: hand claps on beats 2 and 4 in every chorus. Always end with a singalong final chorus + group vocals. Tempo 115-128 BPM.