Destruction, à la Indigo De Souza
INDIGO DE SOUZA @ THE FONDA [12/05/23]
Looks Like Another Perfect Day (We Love L.A.)
It was a slow Sunday morning in Los Angeles. The sun overslept, yawned hot air and its haze sprawled from the desert, crawled around the mountains to swallow the sea shore. Cloudless blue skies bleached the fabric of the city. Glass skyscrapers, pueblo bungalows, Bauhaus mansions, googie apartments all were starched and flattened into earthy, coastal…
A Talk with Uhhh… Oh!: An Interview with Um, Jennifer?
Have you heard of trans slut rock? I didn’t know how to visualize it or even think of how it could sound until my friend and I walked down the flights of stairs into El Cid. We came there for the band, Um, Jennifer? We kept our hopes up that their iconic band member, Jennifer…
TV Girl @ The Observatory OC [12/17/23]
“Think about the average TV Girl Fan. They’re lonely. They’re depressed. They’re morally bankrupt. They’re actually bankrupt. They have no friends. They don’t go outside. They’re addicted to their phones, and honestly they don’t smell very good most of the time! That’s who listens to TV Girl.” As said by none other than lead vocalist…
Um, Jennifer? @ Yeah, Yeah, Yas [12/13/2023]
Photos by Chloe Gonzales & Dylan Simmons 10:30 PM I mean we were heading to an event called “Yeah, Yeah, Yas,” I knew what to expect. Drive the freeway, look around the block twice and miss our turn to find the event, stop, take a couple of tries parallel parking, and struggle to find the…
aja monet + the surrealists album release show [07/14/2023]
In a sense of oversimplification, poetry is to language as jazz is to music. These respective artistic pursuits hinge on an artists’ courage to abandon established formalities, a nature of creative rule bending that forges the bridge between art and activism with poetry and jazz resting at its center. An artist combining the two seems…
An Interview with ENNY: Finding Yourself Through Music
Meet ENNY, the distinctive voice from South East London, also known as Enitan Adepitan. Grounded in her hip-hop roots, ENNY seamlessly ties in self-identifying narratives into her music. Gaining nearly 2 million monthly Spotify listeners, ENNY dropped her EP “We Go Again” in April, followed by a remix of her hit track “Charge It” feat.…
Snow Strippers at The Roxy [12/1/23]
For me, nothing signals the end of another year quite like music fans and critics alike beginning to release lists ranking the best albums of the year. When looking back on my own favorite projects of 2023, one sticks out above the rest. Something about the shoegaze tinged balls to the walls EDM club tracks…
Camp Flog Gnaw Chronicles: An Interview with Mike G.
Photos by Mary Tio Did you know that Flog Gnaw spelled backward is Golf Wang? Were you also aware that the brand Golf Wang originated from the iconic 2007 alternative hip-hop collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, commonly abbreviated as OFWGKTA? This realization certainly blew my mind, especially when you consider that some…
Gabito Ballesteros @ Peacock Theater
As I’m walking through downtown Los Angeles on a Tuesday night, all I see are Mexican tamborazos and bandas playing live music in the street with hundreds of people lining up waiting at the Peacock Theater’s front doors with the smell of hot dogs grilling filling the air. When a regional Mexican super star such…
Camp Flog Gnaw Chronicles: An Interview with Fana Hues
Photos by Estefania Keener & Mary Tio Fana Hues creates a magnetic experience that beckons listeners into a realm of ethereal tunes and eclectic lyrics. As I inch closer to her set, I’m immediately captivated by her natural presence on the Flog stage. Fana Hues is entirely in her element when performing in front of…
Unveiling Unreal: An Interview with Lucy Tun
Cover photo taken by Joel Barney & Oscar Ferguson (@_bttr_half) As the music landscape continues to evolve faster than ever, tapping into the zeitgeist is a daunting task. Nevertheless, it’s something that British-Burmese artist Lucy Tun does with ease. Musically, lyrically, and aesthetically, Lucy gives the impression of someone who has an intuitive grasp of…
The Menzingers @ The Belasco [12/03/23]
I’m not used to America yet. Every time I pack my bags and board the 15-hour flight from Hong Kong, it freaks me out a little bit. Walking into a coffee shop and seeing six different types of milk (none of them being whole milk) does fill me with a sense of unease. So you…
Celebrating 15 Years of Mexican Summer
Cate Le Bon, L’Rain, Zsela, & Mega Bog @ El Rey Theater [11/29/23] Photos by Lily Stockton November 29, the day that everyone’s highly anticipated Spotify Wrapped drops. As people are recapping their year’s worth of musical experiences and learning that their music tastes belong in Berkeley, California, my Spotify Wrapped tells me that three…
Camp Flog Gnaw Chronicles: An Interview with AG Club
Photos by Ria Bose As a part of UCLA Radio’s Camp Flog Gnaw coverage, we have had the incredible opportunity to interview some of the hottest names in the world of alternative R&B. My press partner Mary and I had the pleasure of speaking to Jody Fontaine and Baby BoY of AG Club, a creative…
Camp Flog Gnaw Chronicles: An Interview with DAISY WORLD
Photos by Mary Tio As a part of UCLA Radio’s Camp Flog Gnaw coverage, we have had the incredible opportunity to interview some of the hottest names in the world of alternative R&B. My partner in crime, Mary and I kicked off our second day at the festival with a giddy kick in our step…
Durand Jones @ The Fonda Theatre [11/6/2023]
Photos by Luna Seng–Lay I’ve always loved the rain. Growing up on the Northern California coast, in the small beach town of Half Moon Bay, there were very few days during the year when the sun shone through without the distraction of the clouds and fog. For my parents, Southern California natives who spent their…
Camp Flog Gnaw Chronicles: An Interview with Baby Rose
Photos by Mary Tio It is the morning of Camp Flog Gnaw day one and I am more excited than a little kid going to Disneyland for the first time. My partner in crime, Ria, and I rallied early in the morning to arrive at the festival for the grand opening of Dodger Stadium’s gates.…
Madeon @ The Shrine Auditorium [11/17/2023]
Photos by Lily Stockton Looking at the crowd outside the Shrine Auditorium, it would’ve been fair to assume that they were waiting for a blockbuster movie premiere, not a concert. Fans dressed in identical black cloaks, technicolor Hawaiian shirts, and oversized bolero hats joyfully exchanged fan merch and made conversation. Topics ranged from compliments on…
Ruminations on Love, and the Sorrows of Its Slow Passing: Faye Webster @ The Novo [11/09/23]
Photos by Chloe Gonzales I wouldn’t say that love is at the forefront of my mind these days, but when I listen to Faye Webster’s music, it’s the only thing on my mind. You know that feeling you get when your crush smiles at you? Your face slowly flushing, the hot blush blooming across your…
Noname @ The Wiltern [11/06/23]
Photos taken by Luna Seng-Lay In the middle of Koreatown, boxed inside the neon lights of The Wiltern, we waited on a carpeted floor between a pair of ornate art deco walls with gold details and a purple glow. A bouquet of bucket hats, bandanas, and overgrown hair swerved and bobbed while a murmured chorus…
Genesis Owusu @ The Fonda [11/06/23]
Photos taken by Amber Xu The Fonda Theatre was not prepared for the spectacle that was about to unravel on the night of November 6th. The central stage, flanked by baroque pillars standing underneath an intricate cupola, stood still with its velvet curtains drawn. The crowd slowly rumbled in anticipation as the clock crept forward.…