Cherry Bomb Turns Heartbreak Into a Dance-Floor Banger on “Myriad Reflector”
LOS ANGELES, CA- I kind of wish Cherry Bomb had dropped “Myriad Reflector” in the spring or at the beginning of summer because this thing is a banger. It feels like the kind of song that should have had a few months to work…
Sorana on K-Pop, Songwriting and Finding Her Own Sound
LOS ANGELES, CA- There was something about Sorana’s story that I couldn’t quite get out of my head. Here is a young woman from Transylvania who somehow carved out a niche for herself in the hypercompetitive world of K-pop songwriting. Not Seoul. Not Los…
Andy Grammer’s “All I Want Is You” Was the Song I Needed
LOS ANGELES, CA- I’ll be honest. My spirit has been a little dampened lately. There have been some things going on in my life, some relatively small and others considerably larger, that have weighed on me more than I would like. Nothing I particularly…
Lindsey Lomis Brings a New Generation to Blue Note Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES, CA- There are certain names in music that carry weight before a single note is played. Blue Note is one of them. For anyone who has spent enough time obsessing over music, the words immediately conjure something. Maybe it is the unmistakable…
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…
