The Marias are meticulous. Every element of the Los Angeles band there is a vibe as vintage as it is fresh and new, and it feels natural, unthinkingly but supremely cool. There’s a formula here — but somehow, nothing about The Marías feels formulaic.
Superclean Vol 1., released in early November 2018, feels like velvet grazed against the skin — chill bumps included. Combining bossa nova, funk, coquettish 60s yé-yé, lounge, and psychedelic dream pop, The Marías offer a sultry pastiche, an instantly likable meld guided by the kind of soft-soothing vocals . It’s the first EP for the band, a debut built on the seemingly fated meeting of singer María — as an artist, she uses her first name only — and drummer-producer Josh Conway.
The gloomy video for “ABQ,” a track from The Marías’ second EP, Superclean Vol. II, mirrors that feeling, Anxiety is a sneaky, shapeshifting thing on your mind. It can be profoundly intense to the point of physical debilitation; other times it’s a looming, creeping sensation of paranoia, negativity, fear, and insecurity slithering snake-like through your thoughts.and unsurprisingly, singer María penned this slow-march during an anxious state while traveling in a van on the band’s first tour.
“I remember recording vocals and having to go underneath a blanket so that no one could hear or see me,” she says in a press statement.
In the video, women cloaked in hooded capes surround María like a black cloud, even when she seems to be in the clear and calm, standing strong in brighter light alongside a horse and wearing a white gown. These cloaked figures are an allusion to that blanket, which became María’s safe haven on tour.
Working for a fourth time with director Ian Lipton, María co-directed “ABQ,” and together they convey the eternal mental tension of living with anxiety. In the moments where the cloaked women surrounding María look directly to the camera, though, it’s startling: a jolt to the viewer that cuts through the bleak color palette. Each moment of intentional focus feels like an acknowledgment, a spark of awareness that anxiety is conquerable. Eliminating it altogether may not be possible, but with effort, we can better control it.
Directed, produced, written and edited by María and Ian Lipton
Formed in Los Angeles in late 2016, The Marías have hypnotic guitar riffs, smoke– velvet vocals and nostalgic horn solos, there’s something undeniably sensual in the group’s dreamlike fusion of jazz, psychedelia, funk and lounge.
Vocals/guitar – Maria
Drums/vox/producer – Josh
Lead guitar/vox – Jesse Perlman
Bass – Carter Lee
Keys – Edward James
Los Angeles-based trio Cherry Glazerr released a new album, Stuffed & Ready, back in February via Secretly Canadian. This week they shared a remix of the Blonde Redhead-sounding “Daddi” by musician/comedian ReggieWatts. These days Watts is best known as the band leader on The Late Late Show with James Corden, but before that he had successful comedy and music careers and even once did a hilarious TED Talk.
The band’s Clementine Creevy had this to say about the remix in a press release: “I think a lot of rock musicians secretly would love to make a club floor banger – and Reggie helped us get there with his amazing booty shaking remix of ‘Daddi.'” Stuffed & Readyis the band’s fourth album and the follow-up to Apocalypstick, which was released on President Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day in 2017. Instead of focusing on political songwriting, the craziness of the last two years made 22-year-old Creevy turn inwards.
“I am telling my story of how I feel and where I am in life,” she said in a previous press release. “I’ve felt the need to explain my feelings…not just state them, but search for why I feel the way I do honestly. With Apocalipstick, I was an over-confident teenager trying to solve the world’s problems. With Stuffed & Ready, I’m a much more weary and perhaps a more cynical woman who believes you need to figure your own self out first.”
An initial version of Stuffed & Readywas recorded in early in 2018 with engineer/musician John Vanderslice. Creevy said that resulted in a “very live sounding, self-produced album, which was cool, but wasn’t exactly what I wanted to put into the ether right now.”
The band then turned to Carlos de la Garza, who had co-produced Apocalipstick. “I wanted a producer to push me,” Creevy explains. “I wanted to be questioned, to rip my songs apart and look at their guts and pour myself open again. And I wanted it to sound massive.”
When L.A. punks The Regrettesformed in 2015 and then released the “Feel Your Feelings Fool!” album two years later, they offered something refreshingly different to a scene in danger of stagnating. There was no forced snottiness or Hot Topic fashion, little in the way of tired ska influences — and it wasn’t overtly riot grrrl, either.
The Regrettes, are led by the inimitable Lydia Night — who previously smashed her way into many minds with her duo Pretty Little Demons — are not about posturing. They’re not postcard-punks, requiring a “uniform” of spiked hair, safety pins, and torn clothes. Rather, the band is all about real-life tales of their genuine experiences. Even that debut album title is a reference to not holding anything back.
The sound is a glorious mix of melodic punk rock and 1960s girl-group. The second Regrettes album is due out this summer and, judging by the “Dress Up” single that just dropped, power-pop elements have been added to the mix. It’s a potent brew. Night is the songwriter, and she’s gifted — poetry and melody are comfortable of bedfellows in her care. That said, on this new album, Night says that the other members have been more involved.
The new album is “so ready to go,” Night says. “It’s all done. I’m so fucking excited about it, oh my God. We’ve been working on it ever since our first one came out really, because of the writing. It’s been happening for a few years. Recording was about five weeks. I think every artist grows, some more obviously than others. We definitely have. This album’s a lot more of a collaboration between the band. It’s just different. I’m just older, and so the music feels more mature.”
“Dress Up” is a suave, driving pop-punk gem that Night says is indicative of the direction on the new record, while stressing that each tune is different. That’s great though, because there are shades of Joan Jett and Suzi Quatro badass-ery on there — and a bit of Chrissie Hynde, too. Night puts that all down to a newfound confidence that naturally comes through growth, as well as some of the cool jams that she’s been cramming into her rapidly evolving mind.
“I’ve been listening to a lot of early Strokes, a lot of Exploding Hearts, and The Replacements,” Night says. “Lots of Blondie. All over the place, really. But you can hear a lot of those particular things, I think, influencing this album. I’ve had an obsession with The Replacements. I’m a big power-pop person. This album’s a lot more like that.”
At the end of 2018, The Regrettes put out “Poor Boy,” a much-needed anti-Brett Kavanaugh anthem and a rare foray into politics. Night says that, while that song was something they had to get out of their system after watching the confirmation unfold on TV, they also knew that the album would be a much more personal affair.
“The album is a love story — the good and the bad,” Night says. “That’s what influenced it — falling in and out, and hating someone that you have also loved. Figuring it out. It goes through many extremes, to say the least. The Kavanaugh thing was something we wanted to get out because we were feeling it and knew that there wasn’t much of that on the album. So this is definitely kind of a personal, emotional album.”
Also not on the album is the cover of Queen’s classic “Don’t Stop Me Now,” recorded for a Silk ad campaign. It’s a genuinely thrilling take on the old standard: timely because of the recent Queen biopic plus the tours with Adam Lambert, but also exciting because of the injection of youthful, wild energy that The Regrettes add.
“We’re huge Queen fans,” Night says. “We actually did it for a commercial, and so when we got the call for that, we were like, ‘This is going to be so easy and fun because we love that song and are passionate about it already.’ ”
The Regrettes are preparing for a tour with Against Me!, and the band should be well-rested after they were forced to cancel a tour with Oakland indie-punks SWMRS because of some vocals issues for Night.
“I’m all good now,” she says. “It was really scary, but I’ll be OK. I’m just dealing with my shit. I’ve struggled with nodules and a lot of vocal issues, and had to cancel shows before. It’s a big concern when I start having flare-ups. My voice was really inflamed, and I think a big thing was we had just come off a six-week tour, that we had in-ears [custom-made monitors] the whole tour for the first time. That was such a big help for my voice, because you can hear yourself, you’re not pushing. Then the first show without in-ears in a long time, we pushed really hard. It’s not something to fuck with, and I’ve learned how extreme you need to be with it.”
Night says she’s never met the various members of Against Me!, but she’s inspired by singer Laura Jane Grace’s story. Above all, she’s excited because her dad introduced her to Against Me! when she was a kid — so she views these shows as a sort of “full circle” thing. As for the set, Night suggests that we’ll likely hear some new songs.
“A lot of fiery energy because we’re going to be so excited to be back up on stage, that’s for sure,” she says. “I actually have no idea if the Against Me! crowd will like us, but I’m ready to find out. We’re just gonna go for it.”
After that, there will be more touring. After all, this is only the beginning of the tour cycle in support of the new album. All the while, this excellent band will continue to evolve as they soak in the world around them and prepare for album number three.
Eight tracks into Patience’s debut synth-pop LP, Dizzy Spells, singer/producer Roxanne Clifford is suddenly joined by a second voice, one that complements her airy choruses and misty-eyed melodies with cloudy French phrases. Fans of Clifford’s former band, Veronica Falls, may recognize the guest’s name if they take a look at the liner notes: Marion Herbain, who was the former Veronica Falls bassist. While the band essentially ceased to exist in 2014—when their social media accounts went silent—the two stayed in touch and are still very close friends.
“She has a great voice,” says Clifford. “I intend to persuade her to sing more songs with me, and hope she’ll join me on tour in the U.K. this June.”
There’s a reason for this. Unlike other projects that start in a home studio and get lost in translation onstage, Patience’s shows aren’t limited to a laptop and a mic stand. They’re an ever-evolving affair, involving a reel-to-reel player, live synths, and clean guitar chords, and often rounded out by guests who can help bring Clifford’s layered harmonies and head-circling hooks to life. Smoke machines, proper lighting, and a decent sound system certainly don’t hurt, either.
“Having a couple friends sing backup with me is wonderful,” says Clifford. “It adds to the energy of the show, sounds great, and I have people to dance with.”
Therein lies the contradiction with Patience. Though it’s her face and hers alone on the album cover, Clifford isn’t looking to hide out solo in a bedroom, surrounded by drum machines, keyboards, and samplers. She misses “the gang mentality of being in a band and the confidence that brings,” as well as the immediacy of being able to just pick up a guitar and play.
“I long for the magical organic excitement that comes from playing in a fully live band,” she admits. “When it comes together, it’s a feeling I can’t really get any other way. But I also don’t feel ready to recruit band members or start hauling a backline around with me just yet.”
As for how she went from writing guitar-centric goth songs with Veronica Falls (“Beachy “Found Love in a Graveyard,”“Beachy Head”) to embracing the dancing-while-crying electronics of Patience, Clifford credits a simple Korg Micro Preset synth from the late ’70s. A key element in some of her favorite songs—including ones by OMD and the cult Belgian act Bernthøler—it provided the foundation for her early solo experiments, along with a Roland TR-505 drum machine. While it took her some time to create a compelling and cohesive vision with such “time-consuming and infuriating” equipment, Clifford found the creative process surrounding her new sonic palette liberating. Doubly so, given the time that passed between Veronica Falls’ last album (2013’s Waiting For Something to Happen) and Patience’s early singles (2016’s “The Church,” “The Pressure,” and 2017’s “White of an Eye”). Pursuing a new sound removed the weight of expectations from the equation. The trickiest part of putting Dizzy Spells together was technical obstacles—hangups indie rock acts don’t really have to deal with.
“It doesn’t feel hugely rewarding for me to get wrapped up in the nuances of an oscillator,” says Clifford. “Or to figure out how to program a sequencer properly; I’m too impatient. I usually have a very clear [idea] of how I want something to sound, yet getting to that point can be a different story.
She continues, “I’m learning more as I go, and it’s been important to have people help me with that side of things where possible. I’m also trying to embrace a more experimental approach to songwriting; letting happy accidents lead me somewhere new has felt freeing…. One element alone can be the tiny piece to make everything fit together in a pleasing way.”
And that’s what Dizzy Spells is: an avant-pop and Italo disco-inspired puzzle that fits together perfectly, despite being developed over several years and countless recording sessions. Clifford also worked with such welcome collaborators as U.K. garage icon Todd Edwards (see also: several Daft Punk singles), Free Love co-founder Lewis Cook, and engineer Misha Hering (Virginia Wing), although the end result is distinctly hers
“I chose the title Dizzy Spells because it suggests these disparate events acting as a whole,” she explains, “telling the story so far and mapping the ebbs and flows. There’s something special about that in and of itself, but I wanted the listening experience to feel immersive, the way an album should.”
Patience’s next round of material is poised to further their narrative, taking her “Gemini tendencies” to new heights without having to wait for the approval of other parties—especially since she now has her own label called Winona Records. Impromptu collabs may emerge on the imprint in the near future, but a Veronica Falls reunion is off the table after the passing of drummer Patrick Doyle last year. Forming another group with Herbain and former Veronica Falls guitarist James Hoare isn’t likely either, despite the creative spark they all share.
“Patrick’s death hit us all very hard,” says Clifford. “It’s something that I am still coming to terms with. It’s impossible not to have a spiral of regrets in moments like this. But we’ve all tried to focus on the brilliant times we had together and how cherished they feel in retrospect…. Sharing the memory of someone helps to come to terms with the immense loss that you feel.”
Dizzy Spells will be available in the U.S.A. from Winona Records,
Los Angeles’s the Dream Syndicate is thrilled to release these times today, their second album of new music since their 2012 reunion nearly thirty years after they first influenced California’s paisely underground scene. if 2017’s how did I find myself here was a 10 pm record, all swagger and cathartic explosion, then these times is the 2 am sibling, moodier and more mercurial with the band acting as djs of their own overnight radio station as the listener drifts off into dreams and wonders the next morning if any of it was real.“when i was writing the songs for the new album I was pretty obsessed with donuts by J-Dilla,” lead singer and songwriter Steve Wynn explained. “I loved the way that he approached record making as a dj, a crate-digger, a music fan wanting to lay out all of his favorite music, twist and turn the results until he made them into his own. i was messing around with step sequencers, drum machines, loops—anything to take me out of my usual way of writing and try to feel as though i was working on a compilation rather than ‘more of the same’. you might not automatically put the Dream Syndicate and j-dilla in the same sentence, but I hear that album when I hear our new one.”.
The Dream Syndicate recorded these times once again at Montrose studios in richmond, virginia. co-produced by John Agnello (Phosphorescent, Waxahatchee, Hold Steady, Dinosaur jr.), Wynn wrote all of the song’s lyrics in the studio after the band finished tracking, so that the words would be dictated by the sound rather than the other way around. this process contributed to the urgency of the album’s title.“not content to deliver ‘the days of wine and roses 2019’ [the Dream Syndicate] have emerged with a vibrant collection of songs that ranks among the best the veteran group has recorded,” popmatters said of these times. “this is not a band competing with its past but instead carving out a bold new future.”
The Dream Syndicate has a long and storied history. but where are they right now? they’re here. right here. in these times.
The Dream Syndicate from the album ‘These Times,’ available now
It’s easy to get caught up in an undertow, pulled down into the water, weightless and directionless. The current stirs and you lose your way. But eventually, if you’re lucky and patient, you can float back up to the surface and take a breath. This is my first new music in a while – my gulp of air. Many talented friends joined me, the basic tracks were recorded live together for the first time in my recording career. This felt good. Jason Quever recorded it in Los Angeles, December of 2018. Thanks for listening.
After hinting at a new album L7 confirmed recently confirmed their first LP in two decades, “Scatter the Rats”. Due out on May 3rd, the forthcoming collection is being previewed with a new track, “Stadium West”.
Following up lead single “Burn Baby”, the new release finds the grunge veterans in proper form, offering up a high-octane composition that falls in line with the best of L7’s ’90s heyday. In your face and unabashedly catchy, the song is highlighted by its delightful lyrical turns-of-phrase, rapid-fire riffs, and energetic backing howls and growls.
L7 has also released a new music video to complement “Stadium West”. Directed by Rob Sheridan, the visual throws it back, crafting a lo-fi, technicolor romp through the band’s home of Los Angeles. “Stadium West” is the second single from the band’s first album in 20 years, to be released on Joan Jett’s Blackhearts Records on May 3rd. Following the album’s lead single “Burn Baby,” “Stadium West” is propelled by winding, distorted guitars that have a certain surf-rock flair. Behind the drum kit, Dee Plakas powers it all with an unbeatable tempo that imbues this ride-along with high stakes and verve
Chock full of the unconscious bravado of a bygone punk era, the clip pairs this energy with old-school production featuring gritty low-resolution frames, inverted and primary color palettes, and, of course, choppy editing.
L7 will support Scatter the Rats on a summer tour. In addition to sets like a “very special intimate show” at Brooklyn’s Elsewhere, they’ll join Rancid’s The Bash Music & Craft Beer touring festival. prep for the experience by picking up L7’s past releases on vinyl. Two of L7’s albums were recently included on Rolling Stone‘s 50 Greatest Grunge Albums list: Smell the Magic (No. 37) and Bricks Are Heavy (No. 15).
On Ramonda Hammer’s searing debut LP “I Never Wanted Company”, front-woman Devin Davis takes a hard look at her struggle between despairing loneliness and embracing independence. The Los Angeles quartet’s blistering guitars and Davis’s paint-peeling vocals – recalling past greats like Hole and likeminded contemporaries like Mannequin Pussy – form the support for lyrics that grapple with two years of emotional upheaval for Davis.
Since the band released their 2017 EPDestroyers, a release that cemented Ramonda Hammer as a tentpole act in LA’s surging community of woman- and queer-fronted bands, Davis struggled to come to terms with her codependency, fought against her own overwhelming over-analysis, and got into her first queer relationship.
The result is an album that’s bruising, cathartic, searching, and ultimately therapeutic. Featuring production by Alex Newport ( At The Drive In, Bloc Party), I Never Wanted Companyis a powerful and triumphant return for the quartet – including Justin Geter on guitar, Andy Hengl on bass, and Mark Edwards on drums.
“No one is coming! No one!” Davis wails at the end of lead single “Hoax”. On its face, it’s a bleak and almost nihilistic statement – but for her, it’s a call to independence. Davis hopes the album will help people who want to take better control over their own lives and emotions. “I’m an anxious person,” she says. “It helps me to play loud rock music with gritty sounds and brash lyrics. Sometimes you to scream to wake people up.”
Los-Angeles based rockers Bleached are back with their stripped-down new single “Shitty Ballet.” This is the duo’s first new music since their rough-edged and rollicking 2017 EP Can You Deal?, which inspired a feminist zine of the same name featuring artists like Kate Nash, Julien Baker, Lizzo and numerous others.
“Shitty Ballet” represents a definite change in sound for sisters Jessica and Jennifer Clavin, as the track is mostly filled with acoustic guitar until their backing band joins in for a heavy ending. The song was written in mere hours “in a deluge of heartbreak,” according to a press release, which partially accounts for their more pared-back instrumentation.
Jennifer said of “Shitty Ballet” in a statement:
Bleached has always been a pretty loud rock band so we felt it was time to explore a more stripped-down style of playing. With the vulnerability of the lyrics we decided to carry that into the instruments as well for the first time recording with just an acoustic guitar and vocals. Sonic change is important to us right now. More of that coming soon.
The track is accompanied by a one-shot video of the sisters singing alongside ballerinas, The video’s soft, rosy lighting reflects the single’s gentler sound.
Bleached – “Shitty Ballet” single out now on Dead Oceans Records
Silversun Pickups have announced their first new album in four years, “Widow’s Weeds”. The Better Nature follow-up, out everywhere June 7th via the band’s own New Machine Recordings, will also feature production by rock-mixing legend Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth).
“This was the first album where we were open. We were exposed,” lead singer Brian Aubert explains of Widow’s Weeds. “This album feels the most naked out of all of them.”
The band have also shared the first single from their forthcoming album, an urgent, string-heavy track titled “It Doesn’t Matter Why,” complete with an unsettling music video to match .
Despite the underlying sense of anxiety and nihilism coursing through “It Doesn’t Matter Why,” fans can expect an overall thematic outlook of rebirth and renewal from Widow’s Weeds. Silversun Pickups (a name borrowed from a dingy liquor store in the band’s birthplace of Silverlake, Calif.) began work on the album just in time for life to happen; written amidst loss, confrontations of mental health and learning how to practice self-care, Widow’s Weeds provided an outlet for the band members to process pain.
“The record does have a mourning vibe, but it’s not sad,” Aubert clarifies. “It’s change. It’s growing up and moving on and letting go of things.” Consider it a conduit for healing; an ode to prioritizing self-love.
Band Members
Brian Aubert: guitar, vocals
Nikki Monninger: bass, vocals
Joe Lester: sounds, keyboards
Christopher Guanlao: drums
The Fat Angel Sings 