Rendering a dreamy, off-kilter brand of indie pop, Uni Ika Ai ("oo-nee ee-­kuh eye") formed in Brooklyn in 2014, when Maia Friedman (Bobby) and Pete Lalish (Lucius, Elizabeth the Catapult) began exchanging bits of improvised material over the Internet. With Friedman singing and both acting as multi-instrumentalists, they started playing shows in the New York area in 2015, adding keyboardist/bassist Tom Deis (Via Audio) and drummer Dan Drohan (Wilsen, Olden Yolk) to the lineup along the way. The quartet recorded their debut LP, Keeping a Golden Bullseye in the Corner of My Mind, with D. James Goodwin, who also played saxophone on the album. It was released on their own Zen Squid Records in October 2016. Continuing to play shows in New York as their other bands' schedules permitted, Uni Ika Ai opened for acts like TEEN, Tall Tall Trees, and Pavo Pavo before headlining tours of the eastern U.S. in 2017. ~ Marcy Donelson, Rovi