Back to Basics - Plaster
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
Let’s talk about Plaster — a five-piece straight outta San Diego who sound like they grew up on punk shows, thrift store amps, and late-night existential dread. Their debut EP, Back to Basics, dropped on April 11th, and it's the kind of release that makes you wanna drive down the coast with the windows down, scream-sing into the void, and maybe send a risky text to someone who used to understand you better than anyone.
If Fontaines D.C., Title Fight, and Crack Cloud had a love child — you’d get Plaster. There’s a refreshing earnestness in what they do. It’s scrappy but intentional, polished in emotion if not always in sheen — and that’s exactly the point.
These tracks don’t beg for perfection. They pulse with the urgency of now, the kind of music you feel in your chest before you’ve even had time to overthink the lyrics.
Back to Basics isn’t just the title — it’s the whole mission statement. After years of life, work, and other distractions, the band circled back to what mattered: making honest music together. This is a debut, sure, but it’s not immature. It’s grounded. It sounds like people who have lived a little, lost a little, and decided to put all of it into these songs. It’s a love letter to starting over.
The whole EP was recorded live at Sunsick Studios, which gives it that fuzzy, intimate energy that only live tracking can offer. You feel the sweat. You feel the room. It’s raw, real, and full of soul.
Plaster came to life in true DIY fashion — Shea Villetet and Cameron Jackson started the spark in their bedrooms after time in Cardboard Boxer, and slowly expanded the roster to a full lineup—Jake Foster added drums and a new direction, Miguel Nevarez went from keys to guitar, and Brittany Bannister stepped in on synth/keys, bringing a whole layer of ethereal shimmer that gives Plaster its dreamier edges.
This band wasn’t rushed. Every member adds something deliberate and vital. You can hear the chemistry, and that’s not something you can fake. There’s a punk energy that keeps the whole thing humming with urgency. But there’s also a dreamy, slightly spaced-out haze that balances it out — thanks to Brittany’s synths and the band’s ability to let songs breathe.
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
Lyrically, there’s a sense of reflection and self-awareness that hits deeper than most debuts.
Recorded live, the EP feels human — imperfect in all the right ways.
While most bands are still “finding their sound,” Plaster have been playing real shows — and not just any shows. They recently shared the stage with Agent Orange and tore it up at the first annual Punk Rock Rodeo in San Diego. That’s not beginner energy. That’s we-came-here-to-make-noise-and-mean-it energy.
This isn’t just a band dropping an EP. It’s a group of friends choosing to chase something real. And that choice — to go back to basics, to write and record together, to put music above ego or perfection — that shines through in every second of this release.
Back to Basics is not just their intro to the world. It’s their promise. And if this is what Plaster sounds like at the starting line? The rest of the race is going to be something to watch.
Plaster don’t try to be trendy. They’re not hiding behind filters or overproduction. What they’ve done here is simple, honest, and powerful. Back to Basics is an unfiltered snapshot of five people making something beautiful out of noise, nerves, and nostalgia — and it just might be your new favorite underground gem.
Back to Basics is available now on all major streaming platforms
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Listen to Plaster and other similar artists on our Spotify Playlist ‘New Music Spotlight - Indie & Alternative’
