Sub-Radio is an American indie pop band based in Washington, D.C.[3] Their sound has been described as "infectious, bright pop,"[4] "gorgeous vocal harmony,"[5] and “tailor-made for festival sing-alongs.”[6] Their music has been critically compared to that of The Killers, The Aces, and Panic! at the Disco.[3]
The members who would become the band met in middle school.[7] Guitarist Matt Prodanovich started the band with keyboard player and guitarist John Fengya[1] in 2009 while still in high school in Sterling, Virginia, however, the band did not formally release music until 2016.[8] The group independently released their debut album, Same Train // Different Station, in March 2016, changing their name from the original Sub-Radio Standard. They have opened for Smallpools[9] and Vinyl Theatre, and made an appearance at the 2017 Firefly Music Festival.[10]
Following the release of two followup EPs — Headfirst (2018) and Dog Years (2019) — the band played more than 30 dates on a U.S. tour in the summer of 2019.[11] Their EP Thoughts Lights Colors Sounds, featuring lead single "Disco," was released in August 2020.[12] One song on the EP, "Fair Fight", featured vocals from Max Bemis of Say Anything.
Unable to tour during the pandemic, Prodanovich had noticed the number of people watching live streams on Reddit and that there was a potential to reach new fans. Starting in October 2020 Sub-Radio starting streaming on Reddit's open access platform called Reddit Public Access Network (RPAN). The streams quickly caught on and Sub-Radio streams have been seen by over 7 million unique viewers. These viewers translated beyond Reddit to a 250% increase in the number of monthly listeners on music platforms Spotify and Apple Music.[13]
They released a following EP, Past Selves (2023),[14] and conducted a two-part tour around the United States from fall 2023 to spring 2024, ending in Somerville, Massachusetts.[15] The band Moontower opened at each stop along the tour.[16]
