Biography
16 Underground, formed in early 2022, is a Southern California quartet currently consisting of Edward Barraza (guitar, bass, keyboards), Hannah Campbell (vocals), Andrés Sanchez (guitar), and Christian Ramos (drums). Their musical backgrounds vary (but, notably, veer into hardcore/punk territory), wanted to push their creative limits by delving into sounds and textures that weren’t accessible through their previous projects—a new sonic palette inspired more by vintage trip-hop, ambient music, and electronic pop than the guitar-based modes they cut their teeth on.
Their debut EP Drifting Deeper (Strange View Records), including Ashley Tarin on vocals, showcases the band's ability to create moody, layered compositions that prioritize subtlety over aggressive rock dynamics. Standout tracks like "Can You Hear Me" and "Chasing A Comfort" feature Tarin's distinctive vocals wafting over jangly guitars, prominent basslines, and keyboard washes.
Read full biography ↓
“Without a Trace”, due out August 14 2026 via Sunday Drive Records, was produced in collaboration with Max Epstein (Photographic Memory, Car Underwater). The band’s sophomore effort leans into a sound that still resonates in today’s dreampop landscape while also reflecting the retro radio influences to which the group pays homage. Synths swirl in stereo while lo-fi trip-hop backbeats churn. Keyboards gesture at times towards loungey jazz; guitars towards emo and shoegaze. Subsonic bass frequencies throb; digital artifacts and samples blip and whisper. Amidst it all, the ethereal, melodic vocals lull the listener into a state of bittersweet bliss.
16 Underground successfully navigates unconventional musical territory, creating what's been described as a "kaleidoscope of sound" that sets them apart from their contemporaries through controlled restraint and atmospheric depth.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.