1990nowhere is an indie/pop project formed as a collaboration between two friends who simply wanted to make music with no judgment from one another. Sometimes collaborative groups can be forced, and can oftentimes lead to unhealthy environments — but that’s not the case for 1990nowhere.
The project comprises of Bryan Sammis (formerly of The Neighborhood) and Chris Blair (Lostboycrow) who have been good friends for over half a decade now. They fit met back in 2014, when Blair caught a show in LA from Olivver the Kid, the adventurous alt-pop project Sammis started shortly after leaving his spot as drummer in The Neighbourhood. Though they never originally set out to start a band together, they stayed in touch.
Then in 2019, 1990nowhere was born out of their first studio session. The pair needed to blow off some creative energy untapped from their for-hire gigs and respective solo projects, which now included the sun-kissed rock of Blair’s Lostboycrow. That very first session produced 1990nowhere’s first single, the energetic “$20,” which has since garnered over 1.4 million Spotify plays. “It connected to the days of being kids jamming in your garage,” Sammis says. “It was really fun, which was something we were missing in music at the time.”
Reconvening for more work together between the two was a no-brainer. Sammis and Blair hit the studio with co-writer/producer Sam Beresford and collaborator/featured singer Olen Kittelsen, both old friends deeply in touch with the 1990nowhere vision. Those sessions proved fruitful, as their new EP, A Fever Called Living, will be released on May 28th via Opera Ghost Records.
When their first single off of the EP, “Kubrick,” it quickly picked up some praise and even landed on NPR’s NMF playlist and Emo Nite LA’s official playlist. Now today, Substream is thrilled to be teaming up with 1990nowhere to exclusively premiere their summer-y new single, “Picasso.”
“‘Picasso’ is a song about trying to fix a broken relationship. Knowing that it takes work, tender love, care & maintenance – but that can only fix so much. It is a look inside the frustrated efforts of two jilted lovers desperately trying to fix something that is doomed. The sunken cost fallacy of a relationship. Trying to repair the smallest of leaks while the ship is halfway underwater. Futile, beautiful and ultimately pointless. A heartwarming gesture too little, too late,” the duo tells Substream.
While 2021 is cloaked in uncertainty for all musicians, Sammis and Blair have plenty to keep them smiling. All four tracks get the mind’s eye working overtime and — wouldn’t you know it — music videos are in the works. Rumor has it they’ve already recorded a third EP, perhaps even a fourth. And sooner or later, once it’s safe, they’ll get to fulfill their “fun festival indie band” destiny. For Sammis, 1990nowhere’s attitude towards the future goes hand in hand with its collaborative spirit. “It ain’t no fun if the homies can’t have none, you know what I mean? The spirit of this band is like, I’m bringing this idea. It’s a verse and a chorus. I don’t even want to know what the rest of the song sounds like. Now I’m gonna throw you the ball and watch what you do with it. What’s fun about the band is the unknown.”
