The Lost Days

The Lost Days
OriginOakland, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active2021–present
Labels
  • Speakeasy Studios SF
  • The Long Road Society
Members

The Lost Days are an American musical duo from Oakland, California, consisting of singer-songwriter Tony Molina and Sarah Rose Janko of the band Dawn Riding.[1] The pair formed the project in 2021 after meeting at a memorial service for a mutual friend, and have released an EP and a full-length album of lo-fi, home-recorded folk-pop songs.[2]

The duo's debut album, In the Store, was released on 17 March 2023 by Speakeasy Studios SF, an independent label run by Alicia Vanden Heuvel of The Aislers Set.[2][3]

History

Molina met Janko at a memorial service for a mutual friend in the early 2020s.[1][4] The two had been fans of each other's musical projects, and began playing acoustic guitars and singing together at Janko's warehouse apartment in East Oakland.[1][5]

In April 2021, the duo released a five-song extended play, Lost Demos, on cassette through the Oakland label The Long Road Society; it was later issued on vinyl.[1][3] After Janko moved to New Orleans and the COVID-19 pandemic limited in-person collaboration, Molina wrote a second batch of songs with Janko's voice in mind and sent demos to her remotely.[3][2]

The pair recorded their debut album, In the Store, at musician Nick Bassett's home studio in Oakland using a Yamaha MT8X eight-track tape recorder.[1][6] Bassett contributed drums and keyboards, and Jasper Leach played piano and Hammond organ on the title track.[6] The 10-song album, which runs approximately 14 minutes, was released on 17 March 2023.[7]

Musical style

The Lost Days play short, lo-fi folk-pop songs recorded to analog tape in a DIY home-recording tradition.[4][7] Critics have identified the influence of the Byrds, Bill Fox, Dear Nora, and Guided by Voices, particularly the cassette-recorded aesthetic of Guided by Voices' early-1990s output.[1][4]

Discography

Albums

Extended plays

  • Lost Demos (The Long Road Society, 2021)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Sendra, Tim. "The Lost Days". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  2. ^ a b c Helman, Peter (7 February 2023). "The Lost Days (Tony Molina + Sarah Rose Janko) – "In The Store"". Stereogum. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  3. ^ a b c Cantor, Olivia (8 February 2023). "The Lost Days Announce New Album In The Store, Release Title Track". Paste. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  4. ^ a b c Kelly, Jennifer (22 March 2023). "The Lost Days — In the Store (Speakeasy Studios)". Dusted. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  5. ^ Terich, Jeff (7 February 2023). "Tony Molina and Sarah Rose Janko announce new album as The Lost Days". Treble. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  6. ^ a b "In the Store". Bandcamp. The Lost Days. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  7. ^ a b Brown, Christopher Anthony (21 March 2023). "The Lost Days: In The Store [Album Review]". The Fire Note. Retrieved 16 May 2026.