Band of the Week: The Chapin Sisters

Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.

Fun Fact: Abigail and Lily Chapin are credited as back-up singers on Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen’s 1992 album Brother for Sale.

Why They’re Worth Watching: With their gorgeous harmonies and dark lyrics, the Chapin Sisters put a modern spin on ‘60s SoCal folk.

For Fans Of: Ida, Vetiver, Judee Sill

“I just need a new doormat and a new shelf, so I came to IKEA,” explains Abigail Chapin, sitting on a bench outside one of the blue-and-yellow megastores in Los Angeles. It’s a mundane setting for an interview, but one that seems especially incongruous with the Chapin Sisters, whose out-of-time debut LP, Lake Bottom, sounds anything but sleek and contemporary. The three siblings—Abigail and Lily Chapin and Jessica Craven—often perform by candlelight in vintage dresses, singing dark lyrics and gorgeous harmonies as if they were traipsing around Laurel Canyon 40 years ago.

The Chapin Sisters come by their sepiatone sound almost as a birthright. Abigail and Lily are the daughters of folk singer Tom Chapin and the nieces of Harry; Jessica is the daughter of Wes Craven. Their mother is singer Bonnie Chapin. Music is in their genes. According to Abigail, the girls grew up in the studio, singing on kids’ albums and recording commercial jingles.

“It was very helpful having people to bounce ideas off of and having that experience performing and singing in a studio,” she says. “In a certain way we’re maybe tried harder than necessary to distance ourselves from that. We just needed to prove that we could write the songs, book the shows, do everything on our own merit without hauling out friends or parents.”

Even so, the idea for the Chapin Sisters as a band originated with their brother Jonathan. Previously, Abigail worked in New York as a costume designer for Nickolodeon, and her sisters were in L.A. While she was in town one weekend, her brother persuaded them to record a few tracks at his friend’s studio. “He had heard us sing together and thought it would be funny for us to record a cover of 50 Cent’s ‘P.I.M.P.’” They ended up choosing instead to sing Britney Spears’ then-massive hit “Toxic,” which to their surprise became a local hit on KCRW. “It blew up at the station,” Abigail says. “It was on every day for a couple of months.”

On the heels of their hit, the Sisters released an EP in 2006, followed by Lake Bottom on local label Plain Recordings, which they recorded with Thom Monahan and former Whiskeytown guitarist Mike Daly. “Thom came and saw us play a Christmas show with our friends the Winter Flowers,” Abigail recalls. “We didn’t even play any of our own tunes, just a mix of weird medieval Christmas songs.” It was enough to hook Monahan, who not only produced Lake Bottom, but invited them to sing on Vagabonds, the debut album from former Jayhawk Gary Louris. “Thomas called me and asked me to come by, and I happened to be literally across the street.”

That sense of casual collaboration is not only furthering the Sisters’ career, but also cementing a community of Los Angeles bands who are finding new ways to play old sounds. “We’re really lucky to be in L.A. right now,” Abigail says. “There are so many great bands here, so many people that we’re lucky to play with and hang out with. Even among bands that are really different there’s a lot of camaraderie.”