Led by the self-taught San Jose-based Bean Tupou (they/them), Try the Pie was formed in 2006 and draws upon a Tongan-American and a Bay Area punk background to piece impromptu harmony, poetic imagery, soft guitar melodies, dissonance, and noise. These elements are used to create a sonic collage-work to provide vivid storytelling. The band has since grown to include Nick Lopez (he/him, Ugly Winner) on drums, Bailey Lupo (they/them, Scowl) on bass, and Laine Barriga (they/them, My Friend, Oka Sun) on guitar. Most of lead singer Tupou’s music is based heavily on mixing present and past experiences with both country, indie and Polynesian-influenced songwriting, inherited histories, and oral storytelling of a poetic nature.