Credit Electric

Credit Electric was founded in 2017 by songwriter Ryan LoPilato and guitarist Cameron Iturri-Carpenter. After a handful of years writing and recording under the solo moniker Haunted Houses, LoPilato had recently made the move out west from his home state of New Jersey and settled in Oakland, CA. Eager to strike up a collaboration in his new environs, it wasn’t long until a neighborhood friend introduced LoPilato to Iturri-Carpenter, a Sonoma County native who had most recently been living in Kansas and playing in a honky tonk band.

The pair began playing together regularly, writing and arranging what would become their self-titled debut album. Produced by Thom Monahan (Devendra Banhart, Fruit Bats, Vetiver) and recorded at Tiny Telephone in San Francisco, the album was fleshed out by pedal steel guitarist and fellow NJ native Evan Hiller, bassist Nathan Smith, and drummer/engineer Stephen Boyd. Recorded live in the studio by Monahan, and featuring Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats on keyboards, the album paired organic sounds that recall the best moments of early 70’s American folk-rock with world weary lyrics and a rustic indie sensibility influenced by Jason Molina.

Now a full band, the group began playing regularly in the Bay Area. From headlining shows at local haunts Starline Social Club and Amnesia, to support slots with groups like US Girls, Japanese Breakfast, and more, the band built a loyal following. In 2018 they played Huichica Music Festival in Sonoma, CA and hit the road in support of their debut album, playing a handful of West Coast dates with Fruit Bats and Vetiver.

Upon the arrival of the pandemic, the band’s focus shifted from live arrangements to solo production and home recording, with LoPilato holed up in his home studio, experimenting with new sounds and colors. Returning to his background, LoPilato began writing lyrics and structuring songs through the lens of surrealist automatism; meanwhile laying a foundation for Iturri-Carpenter and Hiller to play with textures that moved Credit Electric towards a new sound that explores the human unconscious through expressionistic pop vignettes. This led to a growing catalog of new material that the band began self releasing as singles in 2021.

Later on in 2021 LoPilato and the band hooked up with Oakland based record label Royal Oakie. Helmed by producer David Glasebrook (Oliver Ray & Patti Smith, Sugar Candy Mountain, Sandy’s), the label is known for their soulful California spirit and adventurous artistic integrity. They released the band’s new album “out of love in the face of a shadow” on October 14th, 2022.

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