Anastasia Sanchez (vocals, drums) and Eva Chambers (bass, keys, vocals) met in the mirror of an L.A. highschool locker room in 2014—they were both fixing their bangs. A deep musical friendship was quickly formed, forged on a shared love of everything from vintage dolls to the Beach Boys, and resulting in a handful of bands together. Several years passed before fellow L.A. musician Emily Tooraen (guitar, vocals) entered Anastasia and Eva’s orbit, and everything finally clicked. Tchotchke was born.
A move to the East Coast followed, and the band started working on their first album, produced by power-pop wunderkinds the Lemon Twigs in their Long Island childhood home. Tchotchke (2022) was a full-tilt rock'n'roll gem of catchy guitar riffs, powerpop piano lines, and hook-heavy vocals. Tours with King Tuff, Broncho, The Gossip, and The Makeup followed, and the band found themselves crossing the U.S. and Europe throughout 2023 and 2024.
With no intention of slowing down, Tchotchke found time in between the touring life to write their second LP. Entering the studio this time with songs fully arranged and demoed, the band once again enlisted the Lemon Twigs to produce. The new album's 11 tracks are more sophisticated and sonically complex than their previous work, leaning heavily into the band’s love of '60s girl groups and outsider popsters like Harry Nilsson, Dolly Mixture, and Sparks. Playin' Dumb was released September 5, 2025 via Tchotchke Records.
