Skip to content

Mark Hoppus’ Wednesday Pick: Baths

100915-baths.jpg

At SPIN.com, we get pitches from aspiring writers all the time, but one we received last fall was quite different. It came from Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, who said he was dying to write a column about his favorite new bands for us-so we hired him! For four months, the bassist-producer-social media maven contributed a weekly piece called Hopp on Pop, profiling acts like Japandroids, Mumford & Sons, Uffie, and dozens more.

But that was just the beginning. Starting Thursday, Sept. 16, Mark will take his tastemaking talents to the Fuse network with his new show, A Different Spin, which airs at 7 P.M. EST and finds Hoppus talking about all things music with co-host Amy Schumer. Get more info and behind-the-scenes video at trustmeiminaband.com.

To help celebrate the launch of A Different Spin, Mark is back on SPIN.com for one week only, sharing five of his favorite acts of the moment (one per day), culled from his incessant pursuit of all that rocks. (Click here to discover Mark’s previous picks, and come back to SPIN.com every day this week for Mark’s latest discovery.)

And be sure to follow more of Mark’s opinions and exploits via Twitter and on his blog!

BATHS

HOMETOWN:
Chatsworth, California

THE BASICS:
Will Wiesenfeld is the one-man mastermind behind this trippy electronic outfit, whose gentle, spacey tracks take cues from acts like Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada. Wiesenfeld may only be 21 years old but he’s an old pro at crafting gorgeous soundscapes: he started experimenting in the studio at 13 and used to record and release music under the moniker [Post-Foetus].

WHERE HOPP HEARD THEM FIRST:
“In a music magazine. Not even an article. Just a small blurb. But I was intrigued, and it sounded interesting, so I downloaded the Cerulean album to check out.”

WHY THEY ROCK:
“Definitely an ambient, ethereal record. Beats over beats, some slightly out of time or delayed from one another. Keyboards, stringed instruments, weird noises. It took me a couple of listens to understand where it was going, but now I’m in. Great late-at-night or walking-through-the-city music.”

HOPP’S TOP TRACK:
“‘Animals.’ Perhaps the most structured track on the record. This is the song to listen to first. Then prepare for the weird.”

LISTEN: Baths, “Animals” (DOWNLOAD MP3)