HIJK is a modern art-pop indie rock trio from Oakland, CA. Their music consists of "hyper late 90’s-style rock, full of addictive hooks and complex riffs" - (The Bay Bridged). The band was formed in 2007 and in August of that year, they released their debut full-length album, "The Pen And The Letter" which was met with positive reviews in the press and blogosphere.
In early 2008, they created a campy DIY live action/stop-animation video for the song "Paper Boat" with their friend, producer, engineer, and film buff, Enrique Gonzalez Muller. Shortly thereafter, the video won the SF Bay Guardian independent film maker's contest and was put in rotation at the De Young Museum in San Francisco.
Over the following year, Dave & Trevor took a break from playing shows to focus on other projects. Dave amassed a pile of new songs and Trevor created FourFour. All the while they continued writing and experimenting with drums & guitar. In the meantime, the cable channel, MYX TV, did a half hour special on the band for their accomplished indie music series, Visual Crunch.
In 2009, Karl Tupper, the former bass player of Golden Birds and booker of the underground Berkeley venue Fort Oregon, joined HIJK on bass. The new lineup immediately locked in together.
In March of 2010, HIJK released RINR♡. Recorded in a garden studio in Oakland, CA, the new EP is nimble, natural and fun. While only 5 songs and just over 17 minutes, the EP travels far and wide in its variety and texture. "You're Upside Down, You're Funny" is a beautiful pop song and the source of the EP's title, while "Ba Na Na Na Na" is a 4 minute-long love song with a 3 minute intro.
Folks we've shared the stage with: Sloan, Mother Mother, Straylight Run, Cloud Cult, Cold War Kids, Heavenly States, Birdmonster, Hard-Fi, Diamond Nights, White Rose Movement, Scissors For Lefty, The Velvet Teen, Sabrosa Purr, Cex, and Rainer Maria amongst others.
