Joyce Manor @ Anaheim House of Blues [12/02/2024]

I exited the House of Blues with the memory of my horrendous commute veritably wiped. In its place was a lingering contentment I could feel pulling my lips almost unconsciously into a slight smile; on my mind was the complete and total satisfaction Joyce Manor, Algernon Cadwallader and Toys That Kill had birthed. The bands were perfect, the crowd was a picture of total engagement, leaving absolutely nothing to be desired. I can always identify a great show by the artist’s level of disruption into my listening habits in the subsequent days after the show; safe to say Joyce Manor left their mark.

julie @ The Fonda Theatre [11/12/24]

Photos by Dylan Simmons Entering the Fonda Theatre as the final distorted riffs of Her New Knife’s blaring set faded into nonexistence, my night officially commenced with the arrival of hyperpop duo Frost Children. The New York-based sibling duo Angel (bass) and Lulu Prost (guitar) delivered a maximalist, adrenaline-filled set teeming with an overwhelming quantity…

SWIRLIES @ The Echo [11/09/2024]

Photos by Ava London The original article incorrectly stated that the drummer for The Swirlies in Los Angeles was Kevin Shea, instead of Adam Pierce. A distinctly familiar yet unexpected crackling permeated the hazy confines of Silverlake’s The Echo, amplified packing tape perhaps an allegory for the soon-to-play Swirlies’ experimentation with the modalities, forms, and…

The Dare @ The El Rey Theatre [09/27/2024]

Harrison Patrick Smith, who performs under the moniker, The Dare, was exhilaratingly sleazy, with sex, drugs, alcohol, and every now and then love made palatable through omnipresent synths; a lá Calvin Harris circa 2007. The Dare resurrected the eccentric grittiness manifested in the indie sleaze subculture of the early 2000s, with hedonism as its face (and probably also offbeat graphic tee-shirts).

An Interview with Genesis Owusu @ Mad Cool Festival

Ghanaian-Australian artist Kofi Owusu-Ansah—better known by the moniker Genesis Owusu—is anything but a conformist. With a genre-defying discography that communicates deeply personal, critical narratives, Owusu is constantly pushing the boundaries of his medium; Owusu touches on themes of racism, depression, and Absurdism, utilizing soundscapes that veer from R&B to EDM to Hip-Hop.