Indie-pop five-piece Early Eyes hail from Minneapolis and comprises Jake Berglove (keys and vocals), John O’Brien (guitar), Joe Villano (guitar and vocals), Megan Mahoney (bass), and Sam Mathys (drums).

Originally formed in 2016, Early Eyes started out with the group organizing a temporary “pop-up” show on their college campus. They quickly realized, however, that they wanted to pursue music seriously, and their hometown responded in kind, with City Pages recognizing them as one of the best new bands of 2017.

“The city pop was something that the three of us bonded over when we first met,” O’Brien told Minnesota Monthly in March 2022, while Berglove described Early Eyes as having an “indie-pop sun, an emo rising, and a jazz moon.”

Performing around the Twin Cities, Early Eyes started releasing singles soon after forming, such as 2017’s “Waste Of Time.” That same year they released their debut EP, Minutes. In 2018, Early Eyes followed up with the streaming hit “Coffee” and “Penelope,” plus another two EPs, Decorating and All Shades Of Teal.

The year 2020 proved to be a major year for Early Eyes: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic halting the live music business, Early Eyes signed to Epitaph Records in January and began releasing more new music: “I’m Enough,” “Marigolds,” “Clarity,” “Drawing Myself,” and an EP: Sunbathing.

The following year, Early Eyes released a 7-inch single featuring the tracks “Paresthesia” and “Revel Berry,” and in 2022 they released their debut LP, Look Alive!, produced by Caleb Hinz (Hippo Campus, Samia) and featuring singles such as “Dying Plant.” In support of Look Alive!, Early Eyes spent much of 2022 touring the U.S. with bands like flipturn.

“It almost feels like Look Alive! is a direct response to the pandemic,” bandleader Jake Berglove says in Early Eyes’ official bio. “It was like, oh, my goodness, all of our capitalist anxieties just came true! We took all of that anxiety and angry energy and put it into making a really f***ed up album.”

“The album was not just an expression of all of our frustrations, but also an escape from it,” adds guitarist Joe Villano. “And I feel like the process of making it really carried us through the year.”