GIRLI Turns Opinionated Pop Into a Queer Feminist Rallying Cry at Lodge Room Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES, CA- GIRLI, born Milly Toomey and raised in North London by actor parents who encouraged her creativity, has been doing this since she was a teenager, booking a Roundhouse rehearsal room for a pound an hour. Back then, the music room at…
MARIS Doubles Down on Emotional Catharsis with “Losing People”
LOS ANGELES, CA- Earlier this year, I came away impressed by MARIS’ single “MOSH★PIT.” While its title suggested chaos and unbridled energy, what stood out most was the conviction behind it. MARIS wasn’t simply writing glossy pop songs. She was chasing emotional highs and…
The Linda Lindas Embrace Growth on ‘Closer’ Featuring Hayley Williams
LOS ANGELES, CA- The first time I saw The Linda Lindas perform was five years ago at Head In The Clouds. At the time, the quartet was only 13 to 16 years old, but they were already impossible to ignore. Armed with an unapologetic…
Pond’s “Skyworks” Soars With ’80s-Inspired Energy Ahead of Terrestrials
LOS ANGELES, CA- The Australian psych-rock veterans of Pond returned last week with a propulsive, ’80s-inspired studio album, Terrestrials. Its fourth single, “Skyworks,” heralded the album’s release the day before it dropped, offering a big, bright sound that begs to be heard with your…
Dokken Brings Sunset Strip Nostalgia to the Whisky a Go Go
LOS ANGELES, CA- When I told my friends that I was going to see a “hair band” at the Whisky a Go Go, they didn’t know what I meant. Luckily, I love introducing my twenty-something friends to the music legends who took hard rock…
cosmosy’s “Paradise ~ I need you ~” Is an Infectious Surprise
LOS ANGELES, CA- When I first pressed play on cosmosy’s “Paradise ~ I need you ~,” I wasn’t expecting it to become the song that convinced me to write about the group. That’s not meant as a slight. Pop music… particularly the highly polished…
Better Late Than Never: Zac Farro’s Operator Finally Found Me
LOS ANGELES, CA- One of my favorite things about music is that it doesn’t expire. Sure, albums have release dates, but they don’t have expiration dates. In fact, some of my favorite discoveries have come months…. or even years… after a record first hit…
Leyla Ebrahimi Sets the Tone for Holly Humberstone at The Fonda
CLICK HERE TO GO BACK TO THE MAIN ARTICLE LOS ANGELES, CA- “…Opening the evening was Leyla Ebrahimi, a Persian-American singer-songwriter whose relatively short recording history belies an already well-defined musical identity. Raised in Virginia before eventually making her way to Brooklyn, Ebrahimi only…
Forest Introduces Her Debut Album Swan Dive with Haunting New Single “Anchor”
LOS ANGELES, CA- For those discovering Forest for the first time, Swan Dive feels (based on the singles that have been released thus far) less like a conventional debut album than an introduction to an artist already possessing a remarkably defined creative identity. Scheduled…
Mia Takarabe Talks Identity, Steve Aoki, and Her Debut Single “Heartless”
LOS ANGELES, CA- At just 19 years old, Mia Takarabe is standing at the beginning of what promises to be a very busy chapter of her career. Before discussing music, collaborations, or what comes next, I wanted to understand the experiences that shaped the…
