Photos by Isabella Appell Last Thursday, the historic Belasco in Los Angeles transformed into a swirling vortex of kaleidoscopic sound and light as Pond, the Australian psychedelic rock powerhouse, took the stage. Known for their eclectic blend of glam rock, funk, and cosmic psychedelia, Pond delivered a performance that was nothing short of mesmerising, reaffirming…
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.
It was early spring of last year, as I finally left the dungeonous Bunche Hall classroom in pursuit of fresh air and grass. I made my way to the sculpture garden’s horse statue, took off my shoes, put on my headphones, and laid down. As the first guitar licks of “Pictures of You” by Kate…
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…
Photos by Keifer Lambert It’s a difficult time for seniors at UCLA. The impending date of graduation draws closer and closer, we’re fending off questions from anxious parents, balancing our dreams with our need for a paycheck…and somehow, there’s always homework to do. As naive freshmen interrogate us on our plans after college and jaded…
Photo Credits to Nikhil Kumra Growing up, jazz and adjacent genres were always a part of my life. My parents would play Motown soul classics and bossa nova in the car on rides home from elementary school, and when I learned to play the drums in 4th grade, I mirrored the greats like Philly “Joe”…
Photographs by Oli McCormack.
Photography by Ava London Amongst herds of Laker fans, USC apologists, and evening rush hour workers in downtown Los Angeles, it was hard to discern if we were heading the right way to the Snow Strippers show. Our suspicions gave way to relief when we saw concertgoers adorned in fuzzy leg warmers, anime girl T-shirts,…
I was high and catatonic on a summer evening, flat on my back in a cramped and overpopulated apartment on the corner of Pico and Sepulveda. The windows of my bedroom were coated with an orange glow, from the farewell shouts of a sun that I had ignored for countless months. It was 2021 and…
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).