"...an unexpected pleasure...Layering lush synth and a shimmering New Order guitar tone, 'Steps' prettily evokes the tipping point from full bloom to slow decay, as the warm summer days give way to a wet, windy fall.." -Pitchfork.com
"Lovely LA band gets right the balance between tight strumming and swooping electronics, turning out light, charming songs that are long on both melody and heartache."
-Rock & Roll Daily, Rolling Stone
"'In Steps' feels like walking through the park on a sunny day in a sepia world" -I Guess I'm Floating
"Letting Up is awash in wistful melodies, layers of shoegaze guitars, ringing synthesizers and a static-y drum machine."
-Exclaim!
"The music is moody, dreamy and focuses on the space between blasts of synths and scratchy guitar chords. When that space disappears the music erupts (softly) and reminds me that there really are a lot of great local bands out there, just got to be patient." -Surfing On Steam
"Shoegaze gauziness covering electronica beats--think Air and Fischerspooner with some type of Brit-pop swagger." -DeckFight
"Bashfully bittersweet shoegaze from Los Angeles that wear their hearts on every inch of their body...the sort of dreamy indie pop that boys want to make and girls want to fall in love with with synths that ooze romance, guitar lines straight out of New Order's Power, Corruption & Lies and vocals that provide as much warmth as a bearskin rug by an open fire." -Earworm, MuchMusic.com
"Resting somewhere between a more sentential Radio Dept and a more accessible American Analog set, Mike Lee and his gang of collaborators are out to break a few hearts and...dance? Yes." -Confessions of a Would-Be Hipster
"The indie-tronica sound gets me every time as my imagination soars. Tough luck trying to talk to me while Letting Up comes up on the speakers; I'll be in a different world." -Knox Road
"The album’s fuzzy synth-pop, full of beeps and whirrs and almost treacly melodies, is an homage to the shoegazey side of the Sarah Records catalogue, twee-poppers such as the Radio Dept. and artists in the Morr Music family, such as Lali Puna and the Notwist." -BuzzBands.la
"Letting Up Despite Great Faults is the warm little center of the universe. And you are close to the heart of it."
-32ft/second
"Dreary-tinged, easy fun...It's the perfect slouchy cableknit for breezy days and changing seasons."
-Luxury Wafers
"Catchy guitars, almost dancey beats and Mike Lee's soft vocals coupled with shoegazey synths deliver enchanted melodies that make you feel all sorts of warm and wonderful."
-No Conclusion
"The band knows how to craft the ideal electro-pop track and they do so in a manner that will help keep you warm as these winter nights hit freezing temperatures."
-FensePost
"...the perfect soundtrack for a teenage romance."
-In This Week
"The perfect soundtrack for snow gazing out a train window."
-5 Acts
"A great mid-tempo shoegaze/electronic hybrid record that will appeal to fans of bands like Radio Dept., Yo La Tengo, M83, My Bloody Valentine, etc. They meld traditional instrumentation and electronic elements with beautiful airy vocals into a seamless work of art."
-Off The Radar
"Make sure to check these guys out, because they’re going to blow up very soon."
-The Tape
"Come and get lost in the beautiful euphoric tones of Letting Up Despite Great Faults."
-Einstein Music Journal
"The debut album from singer/songwriter Michael Lee and his band serves up the listeners a delectable electro-shoegaze, sounding like a perfect marriage of M83 and Slowdive."
-QRO Magazine
"...a band that borrows its undefined-by-one-word sound from countless genres including Shoegaze, Indie, Noise-Pop, Electronica, Ambient, Unconventional Folk and Synth among many surprising styles spicing their good-for-your-health audio products"
-Ohh! Crapp
"If you love the built up sonic wall of sound that you get with M83 and Cut Copy but also love that peppy-pop fuzz-y rock outs you get with Pains of Being Pure at Heart, this album is right up your alley."
-DBF-Music
"It almost takes you to another place, somewhere better and way more gorgeous than wherever you are at the moment."
-coolthanks
"...introspective, electronic-inflected indie pop..."
-L.A. Times
"Their music easily transitions from an upbeat and bouncy soundtrack befitting happy moods, to the perfect accompaniment for those dreary rainy days."
-Noise Pop Fest
"Letting Up Despite Great Faults is not an act to miss this coming Noise-Pop Festival."
-Kata Rokkar
Letting Up Despite Great Faults's Friend Space (Top 24)
hey i'm mark. i'm from the band the new division. hope you guys like the cd. great show the yesterday night. i didn't realize you guys have a show with memory tapes also. that's crazy. millionyoung and memory tapes. keep making great music. also, the radio dept's new cd comes out this march, along with mgmt. i know you guys are influenced by radio dept a lot. you could heart it in your music. hope to play a show with you guys one day. thanks for the great show and thanks for the music
i'm so glad i finally got to see you guys play live tonight at cinespace. missed you when you came to costa mesa, but i'm looking forward to hearing you guys on kuci. :)
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