When a band chooses to call themselves @, pronounced simply as at, they signal an interest in doing things a little sideways. Victoria Rose and Stone Filipczak, the Philadelphia musicians behind the moniker, have spent the past few years quietly upending expectations of what contemporary indie folk can accommodate. Just a month after issuing their second full-length record, Autosmile, through 4AD, the pair have released a streaming mix that maps the unusual breadth of sound feeding their writing process. Titled Running Down Calliope, the collection pulls together divergent corners of American music and international rock, pointing toward an artistic sensibility that refuses to settle in any single lane.
The playlist, accessible on both Apple Music and Spotify, works by assembling historical and aesthetic opposites into a continuous sequence. Appalachian banjo pioneer Roscoe Holcomb appears alongside the soul and civil rights statements of Nina Simone. In another corner, the caustic lyricism of Warren Zevon meets the harsh noise of Wolf Eyes. The duo also find room for the raw acoustic agitation of Violent Femmes and the elaborate art-rock structures of Yes. These selections suggest an ear for friction rather than seamless flow, showing how bedroom tape hiss and expansive progressive rock can comfortably inhabit the same creative background.
That appetite for the unconventional has defined the partnership since Rose and Filipczak first crossed paths in Boston. Their initial encounter happened entirely by chance, long before they considered making music together. At the time, Filipczak left a sharp mark on Rose, who later remembered him as someone living at an extreme pitch. He was running high daily mileage, wearing unusual clothes, and sporting a braided rattail, radiating an eccentric presence that contrasted with nearly everyone else around them. Over time, that early introduction grew into a durable friendship, and songwriting eventually surfaced as an unforced offshoot of the hours they spent together.
Their recorded output followed a similarly patient trajectory. In 2021, the pair put out their debut album, Mind Palace Music, which found an audience primarily through listener recommendations and grassroots discovery. The record drifted through local circles until it reached Carpark Records, who stepped in to give it an official reissue in 2023. That slow-burning recognition cleared the path for their signing to 4AD and the subsequent release of Autosmile. Moving from self-released tapes to an influential international imprint often isolates musicians from the underground rooms where they started, but Rose and Filipczak have consciously resisted that detachment.
Filipczak has made a point of noting that preserving strong connections to their local scene remains central to the project. The duo continue to prioritize the DIY circuit, choosing to stay grounded among the peer network where they feel most at home. For @, balancing releases on historic record labels with appearances in local basements and independent venues is not a contradiction. It is simply how they keep their footing while writing on their own terms.
