Flat Worms
A Los Angeles trio of Will Ivy, Tim Hellman and Justin Sullivan, whose garage-rooted post-punk reached its fullest sound on Antarctica (2020), recorded with Steve Albini in six days.
The trio and the records
Flat Worms are a Los Angeles trio: Will Ivy on guitar and vocals, Tim Hellman on bass and Justin Sullivan on drums. Drag City and Buzzbands LA call them post-punk and Paste calls them garage rock. Loud and Quiet places the members in Thee Oh Sees, the Ty Segall Band and Dream Boys, and Qobuz says Ivy founded the group after Bridez, Wet Illustrated and Dream Boys, which was seen only in a search snippet. Their debut, Flat Worms, came out on Castle Face in 2017, recorded and mixed by Ty Segall, along with the "Red Hot Sand" 7-inch on Volar; "The Apparition" 7-inch followed on Famous Class in 2018.
From 2019 they are on GOD? Records, the Drag City imprint curated by Ty Segall, a second-hand detail from a search snippet: the Into the Iris EP (GOD016, 2019), Antarctica (GOD018, April 10, 2020), "The Guest" 7-inch (GOD019, 2021), Witness Marks (GOD029, 2023) and a 2024 release listed as Letters Fom the Outpost / Diver (GOD031), spelled as on the Drag City page. Release dates for the 2021 to 2024 items, and any line-up changes, were not found.
Setlist.fm lists 59 shows between 2017 and 2026, most in the UK (25) and the US (21), with the most recent on May 23, 2026 at the Lodge Room in Los Angeles. Their most played songs are "Red Hot Sand" (24), "Motorbike" and "Pearl" (20 each).
Albums
- Antarctica 2020 · GOD? Records / Drag City
Their second full-length: eleven songs, recorded with Steve Albini in six days, whose label blurb says the sound has hardened for a turbulent year.
Songs
- Market Forces Antarctica · 2020
The first single from Antarctica, released February 12, 2020: a corporate-life complaint over chugging bass and sharp riffs.
Sources
- Flat Worms, Drag City
- Flat Worms, setlist.fm
- Flat Worms: Antarctica, The Fire Note (2020-04-13)
- Flat Worms: Antarctica, Still Listening