When Truman Sinclair initially settled into his University of Southern California (USC) student housing, he was unaware that the living space had been infested with fleas. While the discovery seems generally alarming, these bloodsucking insects between the floorboards didn’t shake Sinclair, as his attention circulated the mysterious garage behind his new home.
Upon first entrance and after a couple of runs with his guitar, Sinclair realized that the garage was completely soundproof, which he interpreted as an exchange for the pest problem.
The multi-instrumentalist and producer took advantage of his space and transformed it into a home studio, where he would record Frat Mouse’s fourth album “Flea House” alongside his band members Griffin Meehan (bass) and Ben Lopez (drums).
Sinclair and Meehan met in 2019 through a high school history project, but before the Frat Mouse name was born, their friendship looked like long nights of “Call Of Duty: Black Ops II,” inspiring their first official single, “bo2 zombies.”
Lopez was added to the mix shortly after, laying down drums for early singles in Sinclair’s parents’ living room.
With nearly five years together, the band has transformed their music from lo-fi to high-definition sound, all while sporting the “Frat Mouse mindset,” which in the words of Lopez is, “Be honest, be yourself and rock ‘n’ roll.”
After arriving in San Luis Obispo in mid-September for a performance at SloDoCo and Cal Poly’s University Union, the group stopped in Santa Cruz to end their “Frat Mouse Fall Tour,” returning to Los Angeles for school, work and studio time.
While the three-piece’s current priority is to record refurbished versions of their older tracks with hi-fi equipment, it’s hard to ignore the sincere, youthful nature of their early albums, which impacted the course of their lives and made waves in the emo music community.
The soundtrack to growing up
Frat Mouse’s released albums assure listeners that they aren’t the only ones longing for the comfort of familiarity and friendship, especially through the recurring song title “Grant Wasserstein.”
With each album comes a new rendition of “Grant Wasserstein,” and each version stays consistent with the theme of not being able to slow down the process of growing up.
This introductory track — named after Sinclair’s friend from high school — now has over 2 million streams on Spotify and its creation story is a clear indicator as to why listeners find their debut LP “Rat Pack” to be so unapologetically relatable.
“When we finished all of ‘Rat Pack,’ we only had seven songs and we wanted an intro, but we only had an hour before we could upload it because [Meehan’s] mom was going to pick him up,” Sinclair said. “So we sat and made ‘Grant Wasserstein’ in that hour and thought, ‘fuck it, it’s fine.’ Then it uploaded.”
After all these years, the group has survived the growing pains of failing your driver’s test, following your mom’s curfew and missing the simplicity of childhood.
In a way, every Frat Mouse album responds to its predecessor, with “Flea House” illustrating how maturity and experience can shift both personal perspectives and the recording process.
Sinclair said that “Flea House” is a culmination of each member’s personal journey with their practice and learning how to continuously improve on the craft.
With their first two albums being recorded in Sinclair’s bedroom and the third in Lopez’s garage, recording in the “Flea House Studio” felt like an escape from all other outside distractions.
“We ended up camping out in that shed and basically cooking on camping stoves even though there was a house right next to it,” Sinclair said.
“We were, like, flipping eggs and bacon in a cooking stove with the white gas,” Meehan said. “The tacos were really good though.”
The group describes “Flea House” as the “college record” because that’s exactly what it is: a representation of playing every weekend at The Smell, backyard house shows near USC and spending the night in the studio.
While the record is personal to the experiences of Frat Mouse as a whole, listeners are invited to find pieces of themselves in these eight tracks of uncertainty, loss and nostalgia.
For the love of DIY
Frat Mouse gives back to its audience through song, but also by creating engaging social media content and remaining approachable.
Meehan, a lover of small-web and internet counterculture, runs Frat Mouse’s social media pages as well as an online website and zine titled “Mouse Magazine” which was established to amplify DIY culture in the Los Angeles area.
“He’s the voice of Frat Mouse,” Lopez said.
“Yeah, the content is kind of largely my wrong,” Griffin said jokingly.
Though the band’s online presence is largely humorous and unserious, they find great importance in fostering a supportive, uplifting community for rising musicians in DIY music scenes everywhere.
Having been inspired to form a band after attending a “Mom Jeans” show, Sinclair and Meehan hope to serve the same purpose to passionate, young musicians.
“I think we can all agree that everybody can do exactly what we’re doing. All you need is Interface, a computer and a lot of time and a lot of dedication,” Meehan said.
Sinclair, who is currently studying music production at USC, feels deeply about the state of home-based recording and the accessibility it offers to aspiring musicians looking to pursue the career.
“All of us are in the first generation where it is possible to make hi-fi records right from your bedroom within 90% of the quality of a record that you would spend millions of dollars on,” Sinclair said.
In addition to valuing independent recording practices, Frat Mouse feels uplifted by the communities operating shows, making self-produced zines and creating spaces for creativity.
“Counterculture is a human thing. There is nowhere where it is not alive,” Meehan said.
And Frat Mouse is ensuring that it stays alive, as they plan to hop back in the studio and record modified iterations of fan-favorite tracks. Aside from the group, each member is working toward individual goals with Sinclair recording a solo folk-rock record, Meehan attending to Mouse Magazine and Lopez performing under the SoCal math rock name “Fossil Falls.”
To connect with the band, you can follow them on Instagram and interact with their online guest book here.
