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…
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…
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…
Hemlocke Springs Builds A Whimsical Pop Universe At Los Angeles’ El Rey Theatre
LOS ANGELES, CA- There are artists who perform concerts, and there are artists who invite audiences into fully realized worlds. Hemlocke Springs belongs firmly in the latter category. Before a single song was performed at the El Rey Theatre, the evening had already taken…
RAYE Celebrates Artistic Freedom and Triumph at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre
LOS ANGELES, CA- Few artists in recent memory have experienced a creative rebirth as dramatic as RAYE’s. For years, Rachel Keen occupied a peculiar position within the music industry. Widely respected as a songwriter and vocalist, she nevertheless found herself held back by a…
Grace Ives Brings The Future Of Pop To The Teragram Ballroom | Los Angeles Concert Review
LOS ANGELES, CA- Before Grace Ives took the stage at the Teragram Ballroom, I found myself chatting with a handful of fans who had arrived early enough to secure spots near the barricade. Curious how they had discovered the Brooklyn-born singer-songwriter, I asked. Their…
Steve Aoki and Mia Takarabe’s “Heartless” Signals a New Global Era for J-Pop
LOS ANGELES, CA- Japan has been trending for years, making its way into our daily lives one anime episode or sushi roll at a time. But what about the music? Slowly but surely, more Japanese tracks have been landing on global streaming playlists, more…
Tiger La Flor’s “KODACHROMATIC” Is A Stunning Vintage Soul-Pop Daydream
LOS ANGELES, CA- There are moments when a song immediately pulls you into its world before you’ve even fully processed why. That was my experience hearing “KODACHROMATIC” by Tiger La Flor. The name sounded familiar to me, but I couldn’t immediately place where from….
Mark Ambor’s “New York Confident” Feels Like A Bold Escape From Folk-Pop Predictability
LOS ANGELES, CA- For a while there, it felt like Mark Ambor was drifting toward a lane that’s become increasingly crowded in modern pop music: earnest, Americana-leaning folk-pop built around acoustic strumming, gang vocals, and that familiar stomp-and-holler energy that streaming platforms have loved…
