Lo-fi pop pioneer Tobin Sprout brought blithe vocal harmonies and angular melodic songwriting as a participant in some of Guided by Voices' best work as well as an impressive solo catalog of his own. During a run that would yield some of GBV's most enduring and beloved songs, Sprout's patient, romantic songs served as a grounding agent for Robert Pollard's sci-fi fantasies and post-punk outbursts. Sprout would initially leave the GBV camp in 1997, a year after releasing his solo debut, Carnival Boy. It wouldn't be the last time he'd be part of a GBV lineup, but he kept up with sporadic solo releases like 2020's Empty Horses.