Mitch Welling, better known by his pseudonym Flatsound, is an American songwriter, composer, musician, performer and recording engineer based in Southern California. Using the Flatsound moniker since 2007, the reclusive musician practices a lo-fi, introspective and intimate style. In 2008, he was diagnosed with panic disorder and agoraphobia, to the point of not leaving his house for almost ten years, an experience that would profoundly shape his art. He gained visibility across music platforms with self-released albums such as Scotland, I Wish You Had Stayed (2009), which includes the plaintive guitar song "I Exist I Exist I Exist", I Clung to You Hoping We'd Both Drown (2011), Sleep (2016) and Did Everything Feel Beautiful When You Let Go of the Idea of Being Anything at All (2016), among other achievements. 2017 saw the release of Stayed Up Until Sunrise But Got to Fall Asleep to the Sounds of Birds Singing (A Compilation of Songs from 2008-2013), followed by the ambient-sounding seven-track album Hummingbird (2018) Somewhere in the Distance, Somewhere Toward the Mountains " (2019). In 2022, When You Run Away, Do You Close Your Eyes marks a return to sonic experimentation, followed by You Can't Impress Anyone with Normal Pictures of the Sea in 2023. Flatsound also released a regular audio narrative via the Flatsound Radio podcast, blending personal reflections with music and sound. In 2025, his cult song "I Exist I Exist I Exist" charted on Billboard's TikTok and went viral across all platforms.
