Founded in Athens, Georgia, Great Lakes are a psychedelic-tinged indie pop/indie folk band led by songwriter Ben Crum. Their music walks a line between pastoral accents of Southern-bred indie folk and an artful, introspective mood reflecting the sometimes gloomy conceits of Crum's lyrics. In their early years, the group had ties to the Elephant 6 collective of offbeat pop bands, an era best represented by their self-titled debut LP from 2000. A more ambitious and full-bodied sound emerged when Crum settled on the East Coast, with 2006's Diamond Times emblematic of their stylistic growth. Great Lakes are also more than capable of making powerful guitar-based rock, and 2022's Contenders saw them embracing this facet of their work.