Stereolab
14th December 2025

With their hypnotic rhythms and mesmerizing vocals, Stereolab became one of indie’s most distinctive and influential bands when they emerged in the early ’90s. Led by Tim Gane and , the group celebrated strands of pop music — bossa nova, lounge-pop, movie soundtracks — that were traditionally banished from rock’s lineage. On early singles and albums such as 1993’s Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements, Stereolab combined ’60s pop melodies with an art rock aesthetic borrowed from Krautrock bands like and ; by the time of 1996’s Emperor Tomato Ketchup, their sound incorporated jazz, hip-hop, and dance music. Their work with and on 1997’s Dots and Loops and 2001’s Sound-Dust reflected an increasingly intricate, experimental approach, but following the 2002 death of member Mary Hansen, they eventually returned to a poppier style on albums like 2008’s Chemical Chords. Stereolab’s unmistakable sound had a lasting impact: Contemporaries like and aped their style in the ’90s, while hip-hop artists such as and sampled the band’s music or collaborated with its members in the 2000s and 2010s. Late in that decade and into the 2020s, Stereolab’s revival as a touring band and a steady stream of reissues underscored their reputation as innovators.