Photos by Lauren Kim Singer-songwriter Riya Mahesh, known onstage as Quiet Light, has an ear for sentimentality. The classically trained pianist’s sound shines in her careful arrangements, balancing electronica with eclectic samples and acoustic folk instruments. Mahesh’s soundscapes are constructed like a dream sequence. Pitchfork has described her sonic world as one with a “loose logic…
Photos courtesy of Rob Blackman While growing up just outside of London, Jasmine Rodgers fell in love with creating music. As the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band bôa, also composed of Lee Sullivan and Alex Caird, Rodgers has performed across the world, connecting global audiences with heartfelt lyrics and a hypnotic sound. On…
Cover photo by Kimberly Ruiz Alvarez (SCA) On a cold Thursday evening, hundreds of students formed a line spanning the surface area between Royce Hall and Powell Library in anticipation of watching the next musical act to grace the UCLA campus –the trip pop duo After. Since finding recent fame kudos to their uniquely accurate…
Photos by Lauren Kim No two projects from Water From Your Eyes sound the same. The only throughline in the two-piece band’s discography is their funky spirit and dedication to experimentation. The dance-pop/art rock band was formed by vocalist Rachel Brown and producer Nate Amos. The pair met in Chicago, were once lovers but are…
In early March, I embarked on a bumper-to-bumper drive from LA to OC and decided to turn on War Child Records’ brand new HELP(2) album, a sequel charity project raising funds for children in war. The project is stacked with my favorites — The Last Dinner Party, beabadoobee, Big Thief, Wet Leg and Olivia Rodrigo…
Photos by Rebecca King Sean Solomon Born and raised in Los Angeles, Solomon has curated his dynamic sound while playing solo with only his voice, his guitar, a TV, a tape, and a projector. Both his music and past animation collaborations with Unknown Mortal Orchestra were unknown to me before this performance. Now on his…
Photos by Dylan Simmons It seems that on the internet, the classic riff from American Football’s “Never Meant” is inescapable. But to alternative rock fans, the riff alone is the anthem for the midwest emo subgenre. In case you’re unfamiliar with their emo impact, American Football is a four-piece rock group that formed in Urbana,…
Purple lights filled the Wiltern as the crowd slowly grew in size and cramped together. As the opener of American Football’s tour, Mei Semones’ role that evening was to warm up the crowd for what was to come, and I can assure you she did just that. Opening with “Itsumo,” released in 2025, the stand-alone…
Photos by Kiara Mack It was just days after my fifteenth birthday when Lorde released “Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen it All),” a sentimental song reminiscing on when she “couldn’t wait to turn fifteen.” I blinked, it’s been five years, and it feels like my entire adolescence has led up to my 19-year-old self…
Photos by Lauren Kim Singer-songwriter Olivia Austin, known onstage as Operelly, makes music for the tenderhearted. Her eclectic lyricism and quirky arrangements have forged a pop sound that feels familiar yet experimental, a delicate balance that music platform Nina Protocol has referred to as “matured nursery rhymes.” Operelly’s sound is not to be siloed. Her…