San Gabriel trio Bastidas! are driven by the rhythm and the groove, albeit one that is informed by the eccentricities of post-punk. The five songs that comprise their latest EP Time Portal are carried with primal imperfection, creating this symbiotic mesh of pungent noise that welds into a beautifully chaotic whole. Much like their Chino neighbords Abe Vigoda, they embrace kinetic energy with a playfulness that invites the body to surrender. But their new material doesn’t settle on tangled propulsion – the sputtering guitars and whippy bass throbs of opener Pocket Jesus makes for what sounds like a long lost demo from an eighties band from the Athens post-punk scene that never got its proper due. And In the Now is complexly fleshed-out, brandishing an onslaught of spook-laden reverb over latin percussive elements. It careens in random directions, but all these different permutations are still highlighted with a sense of mad menace that’s undeniably theirs. Bastidas! have been around for over five years supporting like-minded acts such as No Age and Health, and it’s about time they start getting some national attention as well.

If it’s possible to be aggressively laid-back, then noise rockers Wild Eyes have nailed it. Made up of four guys from Covina, they have been steadily releasing singles and EPs over the last two years. The band’s Blue Haze EP is what first caught my attention, with its patiently unfolding delicate dreamscapes, dipping every so gently into the stream of shoegaze, veering off into the world of noise, and gently cascading like a feather falling from a cloud in a dreamy daze. The quartet’s latest release, ‘Lose Your Head’, is two songs of over saturated noise, spacey vibes and cacophonous delay trails. Whether it’s an evolution or simply a maturation, the injection of gritty garage-style antics drives their sound forward. Somewhere in outer space Tame Impala and My Bloody Valentine procreated, and Wild Eyes’ “Lose Your Head” was born. The relaxed repetition of “I don’t care,” swathed in reverb, mixed with the gyration of guitar effects and crowd chatter is the sign of their true artistry. These aren’t just kids making copycat rock music. There’s intentionality and subtlety that show real promise for a full length release. Stream the two songs below from their bandcamp. – Jacqueline Caruso

Multi-instrumentalist duo Midnight Faces write songs of hearthbreak in an eerie mellow tone, lead by the achingly beautiful vocals of Phil Stancil. In the video for Fornication, the first single off their debut album of the same name, a man and a wife have a lost a child, or that’s what it leads you to believe until a twist ending is revealed. It uses the bell as a symbolic device, which was used for safety back in the 1800’s just in case a person was mistakenly buried. The visuals are perfectly matched with the song’s catchy shoegazing melody, creating a gut wreenching, emotional piece that could leave one in tears. – Kayla Hay

Midnight Faces – "Fornication" from Nimblefox Productions on Vimeo.

Topanga Canyon psych group, VUM, have released the video for “I Will Return,” off their latest album, ‘Psychotropic Jukebox.’ The song is another great droning tune that fits nicely into their catalog of “lost inside the desert of your own mind” explorations. The video, directed by Kyle Blair-Henderson, employs seamless camera tricks without ever feeling heavy-handed. As Jennifer Pearl stares ever-piercingly into your psyche, the kaleidoscopic layering takes you deeper into the landscape of the song. As each face on the screen begins to glitter, the drone-y instrumentation escalates entering that seance-like space VUM creates so well. Aptly enveloping you in their haze of peyote-induced mystery, the video seems to exist in the band’s own space vacuum. Once you get close enough to their magnetic pull, you won’t be coming back. ‘Psychotropic Jukebox’ is available now digitally, and on vinyl in November on Secret Lodge Recordings. VUM have just announced their Echo Residency, playing every Monday in December. – Jacqueline Caruso

Pat Grossi, widely known as Active Child, had a breakthrough 2011 with the release of his remarkable full-length debut You Are All I See. A highly ambitious effort that married synth-driven pop and classical music with his soaring vocal abilities, the bedroom recorded See was either unimaginable to top or it raised expectations for a follow-up to a hilt. It’s been a quiet two years for Grossi, but he’s finally opening the curtain with Rapor, a six song EP that is the result of an introspective year spent writing at his home studio of the same name. The EP’s first single "Subtle" is a great encapsulation of Grossi’s stylistic intent with Rapor, a frizzy, outré ballad that converts the sonic qualities of ersatz eighties synth into a swaggering, and even affective, number thanks to Grossi’s immaculate vocals. The full EP is currently streaming on his soundcloud page, whch is out today via Vagrant Records. His next peformance in LA is not slated until November 23rd at El Rey, but it’d be best to mark that down in your calendar right now as "not to miss", especially if he’ll be playing new songs and (hopefully!) previewing songs from his still unannounced follow up album due next year.

There’s something oddly amusing about production duo Nguzunguzu naming their latest track "Mecha". Its strident metallic tones and atonal rhythmic patterns sound like they were manufactured in a dystopian engine plant, readying its forceful machines for an imminent attack. The track is part of their upcoming Skycell EP, which will be released via local bred experimental electronic label Fade to Mind on November 5th. 

I was first introduced to Heathers the last time they played Pehrspace back in June. I was there to see Ablebody, but was enchanted by the opening band, which, like a monarch butterfly, is a rare and magical experience, one you always hope for, but that mostly eludes you. Heathers’ unapologetically grunge and brit-pop influenced ennui wrapped me in its waify arms and grated on my soul to its unexpected delight. Their debut 7” aptly titled, ‘Teenage Clothes’, is not reinventing a wheel so masterfully perfected by its ancient predecessors, that it actually becomes more satisfying to your ears. Drenched in reverb and distortion, rife with repetition, speed, and catchy, screamable lyrics, like, “I don’t wanna be adored,” I didn’t even notice I had the two immensely brief songs on repeat for hours. Their ability to make you feel so indescribably ambiguous that it becomes cathartic is what makes them a must see live band. Stream the 7” below and catch them tomorrow at Pehrspace for the 7" release along with Roses, Vaude, and Media Jeweler. – Jacqueline Caruso

Los Angeles-via Tempe duo Dead Times follow the current renaissance of eighties R&B with an ethereal, minimal take on the genre, splicing sultry snippets of sound and converting them into the smoothest riddims this side of Prince. After introducing themselves with sweltering slow jam "Inner Gold" a couple of months ago, they’ve just released a spacious, mutated version of Donnie & Joe Emerson’s downtempo cult classic "Baby". It’s as intriguing as it is bemusing, since it has a groove that’s easy to like but still mysterious enough to keeps us guessing about their next singles. Perhaps some of these questions will be answered this coming November, with two live performances at Galleria Obscura on the 7th and Goldroom on the 8th. 

Psych-tinged Deli LA veterans Crystal Antlers are prepping up for the release of their latest album Nothing is Real, which is coming out next Tuesday, October 15th via Innovative Leisure. As is the ensuing trend of exclusive hunting, the Long Beach three-piece are streaming it in its entirely a week ahead of its release on the New York Times. Have a listen to the vicious "Licorice Pizza", a straight-ahead rocker that abandons the spiraling time signatures of past records and goes right for the jugular. 

Shoegazer’s light fm are ready to dazzle our ears once again with the release of their fifth studio album, ‘Voices in My Head.’ Filled to the brim with crisp sound design, it has the feel of 80s experimentation met with the bite of a true modern rock record. Josiah Mazzaschi, the brain child behind the band, is at the top of his songwriting game. We are streaming the title track below in advance of their record release show next Friday, Oct. 18. The relentless, driving bass bellowing beneath the ominously dissonant synthscape create the sense of madness surrounding the song’s hook. This psychizophrenic feeling becomes further cemented during the instrumentation after the bridge, where a beautiful cacophony of swirling, buzzing, arpeggiating synths and an impeccably mixed rhythm section nod to their 80s predecessors as you are driven deeper into the recesses of the mind of a lover forlorn. light fm’s technical prowess plays a big part in their appeal, but their true success is in their ability to craft a proper pop song without you noticing. Hear the new songs live October 18 at Complex. – Jacqueline Caruso

My family and I have a running joke about starting a traveling band. The only reason we never did it was to avoid the inevitable tragic end; One of us rises to fame while the others stand in the background, embittered and ignored, shaking tambourines and oohing – that and no one can play drums. Disco-tinged Indie pop quartet, Echosmith, have managed to break the mold. As their spotlight shines brighter, their siblingship remains in tact. Signing to Warner Brothers in 2012, they have officially released their debut album, ‘Talking Dreams.’ The album opens with two bombastic, high energy tunes, “Come Together” and “Let’s Love” that blast you like a fireworks show. These kids are having a really good time, and they won’t allow you to be a wallflower in the process. But they aren’t all positive lyrics and dance beats. They follow up with album stand-out, “Cool Kids,” opening with a reverb-drenched space-bound synth intro that leads you down a path towards one of the most clever, unforgettable hooks you’ll hear this year. Title track, “Talking Dreams,” picks up where the few fillers on the album leave off. It’s a song fit for a Nashville star whose shoes they are bursting out of, reminding you why they are poised for a big breakout. ‘Talking Dreams’ has the feel of a classic pop record with true intentionality. It hits its highs and lows right when you want them, grabs you by the throat with its hooks, and has real heart. The layered arrangements, intricate guitar solos, and arena ready anthems sprinkled throughout the record belie the quartet’s youth. It’s a truly impressive effort that seasoned veteran’s would be hard-pressed to surpass. In no effort to choose obvious favorites, it’s impossible to ignore lead singer, and sole sister of the bunch, Sydney’s crystal clear belt that could give Hayley Williams a run for her money. That said, it’s obvious the group is greater than the sum of its parts. (It doesn’t hurt that they could each be the star of their own CW series). Check out Echosmith’s first single, “Cool Kids,” streaming below and catch them at The Roxy November 19 during their nationwide tour that kicks off this month. – Jacqueline Caruso

Former Vivian Girls/Best Coast drummer Ali Koehler had been hinting at the possibility of forming her own project ever since she released a couple of tracks on her personal bandcamp account back in 2011. After a relatively quiet period, she’s steadily grown into her own just like her former bandmates with her own band Upset, a slyly crafted brand of cherubic pop punk fueled with insatiable hooks and nimble, fuzzed-out guitars reminiscent of beloved nineties local trio The Muffs with echoes of K Records cult favorites Tiger Trap. Though Koehler may be endowed by nature with an ear for melody, the songs do have an extra kick to them thanks to the support of the bandmates she’s enlisted, which include former hole drummer Patty Schemel and former La Sera guitarist Jenn Prince. Produced by Kyle Gilbride (who plays with emo revivalists Swearin’ and produced Waxahatchee’s breakthrough Cerulean Salt), She’s Gone (out on October 29th via Don Giovanni) is supercharged with the kind of crunchy noise pop that’s hard to escape once you’re engulfed in it. See them play live at Echoplex on October 24th at the Echoplex. – Juan Rodríguez