Self-described “occult heartbreak pop” band, The Pennys are the result of a budding friendship between songwriters Mike Ramos (Flowertown, Tony Jay, Cindy) and R.E. Seraphin (solo, Talkies, Glitz). Their self-titled debut combines Ramos’ signature slowness with Seraphin’s dynamic power pop, perfectly unifying their disparate yet complementary styles. Following a 2022 West Coast tour with Ramos’ project, Tony Jay, Seraphin approached Ramos to record his next solo record. Ultimately, they took a fully collaborative approach. Sessions took place over the summer of 2024 at Ramos’ idyllic Bernal Heights apartment; overdubs by Yea-Ming Chen (Ryli, Yea-Ming & The Rumours), Owen Kelley (ex-Sleepy Sun), and Luke Robbins (Ryli, ex-Latitude) came later. The music itself is simultaneously light and dark, unhurried yet feverish, tender but coarse. The recordings are rough-hewn, riddled with tape hiss and harmonies just out of sync. However, this homely presentation of the songs belies real pop aspirations. Ramos and Seraphin don’t hide their desire to conquer the airwaves. Still, they make sure not to take themselves too seriously. When asked what he’d like listeners to take away from The Pennys, Ramos half-jokingly replied: “how hard we worked on this.”
The Pennys’ self-titled EP will be released by Mt.St.Mtn on May 1st 2025.

“The yearning lead single Say Something describes a relationship dissolving in slow motion: a simple but gorgeous ballad that crescendos in a stately piano line and fuzzed-out guitar courtesy of Seraphin.“

Their Mixtape:

RAY’S picks

Opal – Happy Nightmare Baby

David Roback’s various bands (Rain Parade, Opal, Mazzy Star) were a big influence on me while we were recording The Pennys. I hadn’t been the primary lead guitarist in a band for a long time prior to making this EP. For some reason, Mike and I naturally fell into this pattern where he handled the melodic leads and I played the guitar solos. I tried to keep my playing simple and adopt this Sterling Morrison by way of David Roback approach—partly as a response to Mike’s restrained songwriting. I also love the use of slide guitar in Opal and Mazzy Star, which inspired me to ask our friend Owen to play on a couple songs. 

 

Shoes – Kristine

I love Shoes, especially their early private press records. Mike favors a “lo-fi” sound, so most of our EP was done in his bedroom on a not-so-gently used four track. To me, Shoes’ first few records are the original bedroom pop; they are my default point of reference when it comes to making records at home. I’m particularly drawn to the album this song appears on, One in Versailles. There’s a tenuousness to the instrumentation that you think would undermine their pop aspirations, but somehow just works really well. I bought the Shoes biography Boys Don’t Lie by Mary Donnelly a while back and vaguely recall reading they used cardboard for drums on these albums, which is awesome. I could be making that up, though.

 

The Moment of Nightfall and Tony Jay – Cutting Marble From a Mountain

Including something from Mike. Unlike me, he’s incredibly prolific, and all of his records are excellent, which made choosing difficult. But I adore this collaboration he did with the Japanese band The Moment of Nightfall last year. I suppose this song is the most upbeat on the EP, and the closest thing to a traditional single. Musically, it’s got a great Galaxie 500-esque groove, with a neat walking bassline and some wonderful guitar feedback. However, the lyrics really set it apart for me: “flesh melts, and so do I” and “it’s like screaming, but never speaking” are two choice lines. 

MIKE’S picks

Sharp Pins – Lorelei

This song is the first one on the album that roped me in, but the entire album is amazing. I got to see them play in SF a few months back and got to have a conversation with their singer, Kai, about the “Sopranos/Gilmore Girls Paradox”. The gist is that in an episode of the “Sopranos”, the characters are watching an episode of “Gilmore Girls” thus establishing GG as a work of fiction within the Sopranos Universe. In an episode of “Gilmore Girls”, the character Lorelai, in conversation with another character, mentions Tony Soprano, thus establishing “Sopranos” as a work of fiction within the GG Universe. It get s weirder when you think about the characters of “Gilmore Girls” watching the episode of “Sopranos” in which they are watching “Gilmore Girls” and so on and so on. Back to Sharp Pins – this song is great as Kai has a knack for writing great and refreshing pop songs.

Pervenche – Subtle Song (June 1998)

I had the honour of meeting and playing with Masato et al in their other project, The Moment of Nightfall, last year when i visited Japan. Pervenche has been around since the 90s, occasionally turning out a new batch of recordings every now and then. This version of the song is an earlier one than what appears on their 2021 album. I feel like the people in this band understand, on a very deep level, a similar approach to song writing (thematically, stylistically, and recording-ly) that some San Francisco bands have tapped into. Their songs are simple, yet moving, and this one in particular has influenced my writing and has inspired me on more than one occasion to keep going (musically) when i’ve felt like quitting.

Lil Wayne – A Milli

This is probably the first song i was aware of by Lil Wayne. The simplicity of the beat (atonal bass + 808 drums) kinda blew me away, coupled with the hilarious and catchy lyrics immediately imprinted this song in my brain. Lyrically, i’ve always tried to incorporate lines and ideas that make me laugh, without destabilizing the song. Plus my brain is always all over the place, picking and pulling from experience (my own and others’), musical influences, movies, snippets of overheard conversations, dreams, etc. that help me appreciate how all over the place this song is. I just learned Tha Carter VI is supposed to drop in June. Looking forward to how that will help steer my songwriting going forward.

The Pennys EP will be out on May 1st via Mt. St. Mountain Records. Look HERE for more information on The Pennys.