FRTNK (pronounced Fourteen K) released a new music video for their single, “Let Go”. This up and coming alternative hip-hop group, made up of Benjamin Aragbaye, Bryan Ramos and Barin Butler, collaborated with director Aaron George to help create this cinematically pleasing video. FRTNK, artistic and free spirited, wanted their video to be interpreted by their audience. In the majority of the video, the lead character keeps a sack over his face, leading me to believe that the bag is symbolic. With “Let Go” as the title, and with the flow of the video, people might suspect it is about letting go of a loved one, but here I think it is about letting go of what holds you back. Him taking the bag off at the end means that he is ready to, literally and figuratively, let go of what has been holding him back. You can now experience the art of “Let Go” by viewing the video below. – Kayla Hay

Orchin is the noise/dream pop project of Jeremy McLennan, a multi-instrumentalist raised both in Australia and Los Angeles who combines murky, reverbed guitars with the more overcast dreamscapes of 4AD. McLennan’s darker pop confections come into full force on his new single "Ego Deathbed", where we’re introduced to his lamenting sigh before he lets out an uncompromising assault of cavernous distortion. It’s a potent, if sightly isolated, track that gives us some insight into McLennan’s psychological relief.

"Ego Deathbed" is the first single from their debut self-titled EP, to be released on March 17. – Juan Rodríguez

The Tracks’ first single, “Go Out Tonight”, is the reason why indie rock is making a comeback. At first listen you might mistake the East LA quartet for an English rock band because they’re so effortlessly cool. Guitarist-vocalist Venancio Bermudez sings fearlessly and with passion, roaring over guitar riffs and drums. Even with only one single under their belt, there’s a certain sense of urgency and self-awareness that makes them important to today’s indie rock scene. They’ve just released a video for their first song and plan on releasing  the record soon. The Tracks have a bunch of gigs lined up this summer, so be on the lookout. – Lea Phillips 

Traces of haunting synths, dreamy vocals, and an overall cosmic build, wrap up the electronic slow jam “Breathing Through A Straw” from San Diego via New York City duo Vákoum. Comprised of multi-instrumentalists Natalia Padilla and Kelli Rudick, the stargaze artists continue their sensory projection through loops and sonic deconstruction with their latest single. Setting the scene with a hypnotic introduction, Vákoum’s persistent long build creates a lightweight and abstract quality to the track’s tone. As the spacy sounds begin to unravel, a fuller electronic pulse is heard, providing a stable platform for a flow of vocals. Naturally teaming from Padilla and Rudick’s fusion of analog and digital qualities, “Breathing Through A Straw” becomes the duo’s most refined track yet.

Vákoum is set to release their debut album, Home to Home, on February 15th. Catch them on February 7th at The Hideout in San Diego. – Janette Ayub

With so many tremendous changes occurring in our country this past month, it’s nice to step back and appreciate the little things that make us happy. And this month, I’m pleased to say that Water Slice has been that ray of sunshine we’ve been looking for. Their newest single, “Our Hearts Don’t”, tells a story of true love, with artistic and righteous guitar strums soaking up the 70’s vibe. Emotional lyrics paint a nostalgic picture for those ever involved in heartbreak and what it means to lose yourself in order to find it again.

Keep an eye out for Water Slice, performing along side AAN at The Hi Hat on February 1st. – Kayla Hay

If commercial radio rock programmers actually did their research then bands like Turquoise Noise would be playing on heavy rotation. Sure, the quintet’s imaginative guitar rock has a slightly off-center seam, sometimes verging into psychedelic territory, but its nifty, hook-driven quality would appeal to audiences who like their rock laced with pop licks and an alternative vibe. Their most recent single, "Tabula Rosa", is carried with a confident swagger that’s both loud and proud.

Turquoise Noise are playing songs from their most recent debut full-length, as well as some new material, at The Hi Hat this coming Monday, January 30th. – Juan Rodríguez

Indie rock band Daise craft intricate and faintly dreamy songs, countered with sunny harmonies and ringing percussion that are constantly in motion. The San Bernardino quartet sure know their way around a pop melody, and they put it to full effect on their recently released EP, Bewilder, which plays with the more amiable side of post-punk, with their noodling guitars and breezy rhythmic tones, and mixes it with some pan-ethnic flourishes. Fans of genre-bending groups like Yeasayer and Local Natives will find much to enjoy, as their catchy and thoughtful songwriting is as immediate as it is considered.

Daise will showcase their tuneful songs at The Resident on January 23th. – Juan Rodríguez

There’s a profound sense of drift on "Trieste", Halo Orbit’s enigmatic new track, a nine minute textural voyage that ultimately leaves more questions than answers once it ends. The ambient instrumental begins with steady restraint, slowly intensifying its backdrop of modular sounds with shuffled percussion patterns coming from all directions. Once it hits the six minute mark it finally builds, but not in the way you’d expect, briefly doing so until it gradually subsides into a gentle ripple, ultimately circling back to where it started. It’s a daringly ambitious move for the veteran trio, who’ve in the past worked in bands like The Mars Volta, Buffalo Daugher and even the late David Bowie.

Halo Orbit, who see a home in Los Angeles, New York and Tokyo, are releasing their self-titled debut album on February 3rd via local imprint Alpha Pup. They’ll be making their live debut appearance at Low End Theory on February 15 before hitting the road in support of it. – Juan Rodríguez

On February 10, rising electro-pop band Mating Ritual will wrap up their winter tour with a hometown show at Hi Hat. The brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Ryan Marshall Lawhon, the fun and upbeat project is gearing up for the release of their debut album How You Gonna Stop It?, which will be released as two six-track volumes in 2017. Opening for Mating Ritual is dream pop duo Satchmode.

Listen to their new single, Night Lies, below. – Juan Rodríguez

There are only so many words in the English language to describe something beautiful. Alluring, elegant, divine, bewitching, sublime, but Ali Burress has somehow exhausted my vocabulary with her spellbinding music. Paul Ekman, a pioneer in psychology, researched different cultures and discovered that humans all have 6 basic facial emotions, and it is safe to say that I experienced all 6 while listening to “This Is Where”. The San Diego singer-songwriter’s raw emotion bleeds through her lyrics, and the unique intermix of instruments creates an atmospheric sense of vulnerability. Her music is satisfying, scratching the itch of the unknown. “This Is Where” truly is about where we belong: sometimes we don’t always know, but Burress can help you get there.

Burress’s newest EP, Dwell, will be released February 3rd through Spirit House Records. – Kayla Hay

Iris Jupiter is a fuzz rock trio out of Orange County whose mostly informed by nineties American guitar bands with some post-hardcore influences. Signed to Open Door Records, a label you should keep on your radar, the band writes feedback-friendly fuzz rock with tense, anguished confessionals that balance noise with melody. If you’ve been seeking some modern alt rock that embraces the pedal trickery of Smashing Pumpkins-era Siamese Dream with some fleeting shoegaze tones, but with a lead singer that sounds closer to early days Roddy Woomble (if you’re of a certain age, there’s a good chance you have fond memories of Idlewild’s Hope Is Important), then they deliver a dense, textural brew of riffs that emit both a potent and vulnerable aura.

Iris Jupiter are set to release their self-titled debut on January 13th, followed by a record release show the day after at VLHS in Pomona. Juan Rodríguez

Post-punk trio REXX once again fulfill their adventurous streak with their latest EP "To Communicate", a unique collision of punk and funk fusion that epitomizes their frantic eclecticism and twisted melodic approach. Led by Rex Osterkamp, the five track EP seamlessly coheres rasping guitar leads with funky bass lines that, at their most urgent, recall the short-lived days of tropical punk. But Osterkamp takes on different musical styles, and not once is he disloyal to delivering a well-sequenced effort that honors the blistering brevity of punk rock. Juan Rodríguez