"Last Friday, Japanese Breakfast — the indie pop project of Michelle Zauner — took over the Greek’s 6,000-person amphitheater for the obligatory LA stop of their Melancholy Tour. This year’s string of shows, stretching from spring ‘til autumn, is in celebration of Zauner’s new record, For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women). Released this March via Dead Oceans, For Melancholy Brunettes is Japanese Breakfast’s first full-length album since the 2021 hit Jubilee. Zauner not only gained significant notoriety from the latter record, but also in large part due to her debut (and bestselling) novel, Crying in H Mart, published that same year. While Jubilee and Crying in H Mart, as their titles might suggest, were respectively centered around joy and grief, Zauner has found an emotional equilibrium within her latest record, lingering on an introspective melancholy."
"'For the first EP... we were writing a lot of feeling and sound. That was when I really fell in love with my bloody valentine, and I was really into the band Medicine, and like Björk... And then for the second EP, [Esteban] took a lot more control, because I wanted something darker and grungier, and he is just so good at writing things like that. And I just like accentuating it with pretty melodies on top of something really dark. And I just feel like that’s more Glixen — both of us, when we have one solid idea together. That’s what I really want, you know?'"
"From LA to New York, Allegra Weingarten and Etta Friedman’s friendship has provided the foundation for their indie rock project, Momma... The group’s latest LP, Welcome to My Blue Sky, encapsulates the tumultuous summer of 2022 during which they toured their record Household Name. Full of passion, heartbreak, remorse, and acceptance, Welcome to My Blue Sky is a starkly candid emotional rollercoaster of an album exhibiting the decade-long evolution of the band’s sound and friendship."
"While touring as an opener for beabadoobee this spring, NYC-based rock band Pretty Sick made a pit stop in California for three headlining shows. Pretty Sick was formed around 2014 by singer-songwriter/bassist/fashion designer/model Sabrina Fuentes — a prolific multihyphenate at just 25. The project was co-founded by her best friend (and drummer) Eva Kaufman, with the later addition of guitarist Ben Arauz. Ahead of their set at the Constellation Room in Santa Ana, Isabel and I met up with the band backstage for an interview about their latest EP, living in London, and the new album."
Photo courtesy of Rina Mintz
"@turtlewithhat is Izzy Perez and Emma Fuente, the 'it couple' for chronically online lesbians. As high school sweethearts that reconnected in adulthood, they’ve gained over a million followers (affectionately called 'turds') on TikTok for both their saccharine relationship content as well as their comedic skits and deeply ironic sense of humor. Last week, I got to chat with Izzy and Emma (virtually, from Izzy’s Brooklyn apartment) to pick their brains on their shift to creating on YouTube, their filmmaking aspirations, family vloggers, and more."
"Run to the Center, more than anything, feels raw, real, and authentic. The writing, while still being universally relatable, is so intrinsically personal, the distinct product of Murr’s own experiences and intricate introspection. Murr’s sound has remained uniquely her own, yet in an evolved and elevated form, exhibiting both her personal and artistic growth over the last seven years. The record is carried by an ethereal masterpiece of instrumentals, leaning heavily dream-pop while incorporating jazzy elements and Cocteau Twins-esque ‘80s synth."
"Peachy San Diego is a love letter to all of SoCal and its unique, flourishing alternative music scene that sometimes takes a backseat to the dominant, mainstream music industry of Los Angeles. The annual, one-day mini-festival highlights San Diegoan artists and local alternative bands, hosted by the iconic rock venue SOMA. With past headliners including TV Girl, Wavves, and Destroy Boys, Peachy San Diego always entices crowds with a genre-spanning lineup of iconic artists."
"Vada Vada: 'total freedom of expression without boundaries or guidelines of any sort.'
'Vada Vada' as a concept — first coined in 2011 by twin brothers Wyatt and Fletcher Shears of The Garden — has grown to encapsulate various hard-to-define sounds and ideas. For instance, it also refers to The Garden’s extended universe of musicians they associate themselves with, bound together under their self-started label, Vada Vada Records."
Photo courtesy of Refine LA
"Despite its enormous environmental toll, 72% of college students have purchased fast fashion in the past year. Rising tuition costs combined with social media pressures drive students to seek out budget-friendly pieces and keep up with microtrends — factors that allow fast fashion brands to thrive. The fast fashion industry has flooded the market with disposable clothing that falls apart or out of style after minimal wear, causing approximately an entire garbage truck of clothes to be discarded every second. From the production of plastic, non-biodegradable fabrics to the greenhouse gases emitted by textiles decomposing in landfills, the fashion industry has become one of the most resource-intensive and pollutive sectors, accounting for 10% of global carbon emissions."
"Framed by soft, warm lighting and grunge-esque set pieces, [julie] quietly tuned their respective instruments over cheers from the crowd. Originating in Orange County, the shoegaze band was formed in 2019 by Alexandria Elizabeth (bass, vocals), Dillon Lee (drums), and Keyan Pourzand (guitar, vocals) as teenagers. The band gained notoriety from early EPs that amassed overnight internet virality; their first single, 'flutter,' has garnered 38 million streams on Spotify alone, remaining their most popular song since its release in 2020."
"After chatting with Hello Mary earlier this week, I have been eagerly awaiting their takeover of the iconic Troubadour. The three-piece rock band embarked on their first headlining tour just a few days prior, right after a successful stint of shows with American Football and julie. If you love American Football’s mathy, indie rock sound or julie’s grunge, shoegaze tracks, Hello Mary might just be your next underground favorite."
"Hello Mary is Helena Straight (guitar/vocals), Stella Wave (drums/vocals), and Mikaela Oppenheimer (bass). The NYC-based rock band has made a name for themselves with three unique, memorable records, a Rolling Stone feature, and tours with alternative music greats like American Football. We met virtually for an interview ahead of their first headlining tour for their latest record Emita Ox, during which they are stopping at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on October 10."
"Illuminated by stars and nestled in the Hollywood Hills lies the Greek Theatre, packed tonight with shades of blue and yellow. The venue is welcoming Faye Webster in performance of her latest record, Underdressed at the Symphony, which was released in March. In anticipation for her set, the stage is lined with racks of blue clothing and rows of washing machines, which have become this album’s iconography throughout her tour."
"Upon arriving to House of Blues at doors, I am met with a long line of eager fans winding throughout Downtown Disney. With two back-to-back, sold out nights at the 1,700-capacity venue, Alex G can clearly draw a crowd; I later overhear an excited group of fans detailing their trek from Arizona to Orange County just for this show."
Photo by Matty Vogel
"Destroy Boys is high school friends Alexia Roditis (lead vocals, guitar) and Violet Mayugba (guitar, backing vocals) with Narsai Malik (drums) and David Orozco (bass). Best known for their hit 'I Threw Glass at My Friend’s Eyes and Now I’m on Probation,' the Sacramento-based group has three successful records out and a devoted fanbase eagerly awaiting a fourth."
Photos courtesy of No Values
"I got to see some of my favorite artists, and I discovered new additions to the playlists I keep on repeat. I felt an overwhelming gratitude for the music, the community surrounding it, and my unique role in the LA music scene. Such a prevalent community exists among music lovers, but particularly in the punk subculture, which readily embraces anyone who wants to dip their toes into moshing, political activism, mohawks, or more hardcore sounds."
"In quintessentially folk fashion, a Wednesday song tells a story. It somehow makes the ordinary feel deeply poetic, romanticizing both the beautiful and the ugly of the American South. Hartzman hails from North Carolina, the physical and cultural landscape of which inspires much of her writing. Her prose ranges from mundane and symbolic to sardonic and vulnerable, often flip-flopping between the two in an emotional rollercoaster of a song."
"The Renaissance Pleasure Faire is the perfect way to spend a weekend in LA! Opening in 1963 as America’s first modern Renaissance fair, the event has occurred annually, though its location has varied slightly within Southern California. Since 2006, the fair has been held at the Santa Fe Dam, transforming the recreation area into an Elizabethan era English town every spring."
"As I drove beneath the rainbow-colored lights strung across Santa Monica Boulevard, I couldn’t help but notice that the street was uncharacteristically quiet. It made sense: a cold, wet Monday night isn’t the best for clubbing, and yet there I was, making my way to Doug Weston’s Troubadour."
"Alternative Citizens, a punk rock group of high school friends from Anaheim, just might be your new favorite band. After experiencing the fun, boyish energy of their set at SOMA San Diego, I was eager to find out more about them. Singer-guitarist Zachary John, guitarist Mason Ortiz, drummer Vaughn Blesser, and their borrowed bassist Carson Kaiser had agreed to meet with Chloe and I for what would be my first official interview."
"Peachy San Diego is a celebration of all things SoCal, and fittingly enough, Chloe and I drive through much of it on our journey to the festival. Starting at UCLA, we arrive hours later at SOMA, a venue I’ve frequented in the center of San Diego’s vibrant alternative music scene. Chloe and I chat about our shared love of Southern California as we sit in its infamous traffic for hours on the I-405."