LVL UP was formed by Dave Benton and Mike Caridi while attending school at SUNY Purchase in late 2010. The project was intended to be a creative outlet for lofi pop songs with an emphasis on brevity. After recording a few demos and garnering a positive response, LVL UP became a full band with the additions of Ben Smith, Nick Corbo and Greg Rutkin. October 2011 saw the release of LVL UP’s debut full length “Space Brothers” on cassette, followed by a vinyl release in February 2012 on Evil Weevil Records. The record received modest attention, exciting a small but dedicated fan base in the northeast United States.
LVL UP saw departure of guitarist Ben Smith late 2012. The now four-piece entered the studio winter 2012-2013 to record their second release, “Extra Worlds”. This release experimented with both hi-fi and lo-fi recording techniques, while still keeping to the indie-rock/pop song structure of “Space Brothers”. “Extra Worlds” was released on Double Double Whammy in April of 2013.