Atta Boy Embrace Growth, Experimentation, and Connection on New Album 'Silt'

After 15 years of creating music together, Los Angeles indie rock quartet Atta Boy is entering a new chapter with the release of their fourth studio album, Silt. Arriving June 26, the record finds Eden Brolin, Lewis Pullman, Freddy Reish, and Dashel Thompson pushing their creative boundaries through experimentation, patience, and a deeper commitment to collaboration.

Written and recorded over several years at Reish's Los Angeles studio, Silt explores themes of connection, distance, and artistic evolution while introducing new textures, sounds, and influences. Ahead of the album's release and upcoming headlining tour, Atta Boy reflects on the journey behind their most ambitious project yet.

You've been making music together for over 15 years. How has your creative relationship evolved from your high school days to the making of Silt?

The comfort, ease, and trust between the band has become more accessible over time–not that we didn’t have it before. I think for a lot of us there were some confidence issues that needed time and trust to grow out of. In doing so, it made room for more risk-taking and open communication about vulnerability, which have become necessary for effective creative exchange.

The album explores ideas of connection and distance, particularly through remote collaboration. How did those experiences shape both the sound and themes of the record?

We weren’t in our usual studio setup and did a lot more extra recording at different points in the process, so we had more time to explore the songs a bit. That space really allowed us to embrace an attitude of throwing ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks, rather than feeling like we were in a pressure cooker when we’re all in the room together. We could have an idea and then, a week later, sort of shape it slightly more. I think being at a distance sometimes gave us an advantage when building the songs, because we can all be a bit nervous as people and musicians, and trying out or recording ideas alone before bringing them to the band felt more accessible when we’re states apart. It creates a different feel to build out songs over the phone, and a lot of this record was that.  

Silt feels more adventurous sonically, with new instruments, textures, and recording approaches throughout. What gave you the confidence to push beyond your established sound this time around?

At the end of our 2024 tour (at a Denny’s in Ohio immediately after playing the last show), we talked a lot about what we wanted to do next. The thing that came up for all of us was a desire to make a record in a new way: instead of writing and recording in a very short, intense burst, we would take time to iterate and explore new sounds. That adventurousness was baked into the process from the start, and we intentionally set out to do it. There were definitely moments when the confidence wavered, but being able to rely on each other in those moments was a big relief.

Having access to The Pink Feather studio allowed you to write, test, revise, and record without traditional time pressures. How did that freedom change the way the album developed?

Having my own studio this time around really gave us the opportunity to try any and everything out for a song. That time and access allowed each song to develop into something we had never really done before. Every time a new part was added, we had a few days to sit down and decide whether something was missing or the song had been overproduced. I also think the freedom of not feeling like we were annoying a producer by asking to delete something or to do another take was a weight lifted off of our shoulders.

Looking back on the process, what do you think Silt says about Atta Boy as a band today compared to where you were during Crab Park?

It’s a reflection of our maturity, and our desire/willingness to get out of our comfort zone to explore new sounds. Our experience of playing shows together for the first time was also a turning point - we never really played together in such an intense, concentrated way except when making records, and it feels like the extra time spent together on the road is a great petri dish for ideas. We’ve been so much more entrenched in music over the last two years, in a way we haven't been before, which has made a really big difference.