Take a listen to one of the EP’s by LA-based band Warm Weather and you will quickly catch yourself imagining your life as a musical. Thankfully it is none of that tiresome "Glee" business, but instead it is a musical where dazzlingly harmonies and jubilant indie rock sounds make every day feel like Christmas. Of course all of your days are also filled with sunshine. This bewitching world that the guys of Warm Weather create with their music is fueled by a lot of spunk and roots in collegiate acapella groups. Before moving out to LA, Justin Lerman, Ryan Pollie and Brendan Lynch-Salamon were all studying music at East Coast colleges and participating in acaeplla groups. That experience plays big part in Warm Weather’s sound. Overall the guys create a clean pop sound with wholesome vocals, but the amazing harmonious and seamless mix of folkly banjo sounds on some songs and tropical sounds reminiscent of Vampire Weekend on others is what makes them stand out. The songs can be a bit quirky at times, but are not trivial. Warm Weather is in the midst of an East Coast tour supporting their two EPs, last year’s "Dances" and the follow-up "Looking Through." – Karla Hernández

Lara Meyerratken may be relatively new to the LA scene, but she is far from an amateur musician. Hailing from Australia, the songstress began her musical career at the ripe age of 17, when she wrote a letter to fellow Australian performer Ben Lee, suggesting the two’s respective bands play some underage shows together (Lee was 15 at the time). He obliged, and a few years later he called Meyerratken and invited her to play in his band. Three weeks later, she was in New York rehearsing. After years of touring with Lee, the ambitious young artist decided it was time for her to do her own thing. She left the band and recorded a solo album under the moniker El May. In January of 2010, Meyerratkan self-released her debut record, El May. The multi-instrumentalist recorded every part herself, including piano, woodwind, percussion, guitar and even vocal harmonies. The result is a masterful folk/pop record with a full, swelling sound.

After spending time in Australia, New York and Nashville, Meyerratkan has lived in Los Angeles for the past three-and-a-half years. El May is playing The Bootleg Theater this Sunday, May 20. $10. 9 pm. 21+. – Katrina Nattress

Jeans Wilder is the solo project of Andrew Caddick (formerly of Fantastic Magic). “Limeade,” the first single off his upcoming sophomore release, Totally, is the perfect anthem to a SoCal summer. Caddick mixes janglin’ surf guitar riffs with sunny ‘60s pop and stony grunge to produce a laidback, lo-fi track. He’s been creating music under this moniker since 2008 and released his buzzworthy debut Nice Trash LP in the latter part of 2010. Where his previous releases focus on minimalism with sparse instrumentation, his second album delivers a more fleshed out, rounder sound, while still focusing on the Caddick’s voice. Totally is slated for a June 26th release via Everloving Records. – Katrina Nattress 

The music of White Blush, the artistic moniker of recording artist Carol Rhyu, is still very much a guessing game. But on the strength of her debut single, entitled Without You, envisaging what it may evolve into becomes a pleasurable exercise. It starts with a gauzy, loop-based synth wash that begins to unfurl once Rhyu interlaces her gossamer-thin voice. The violet-tinted atmosphere it emits invites with a sultry, seductive tone, yet the despondency of its lyrical content suggests that there’s something lurking deep within her words. Although Rhyu has just released a pair of tracks, she’s instantly become one to watch out for in the coming months.- Juan Edgardo Rodríguez (@juanerodriguez)

For Natalie Angiuli, love doesn’t come easy. It comes in hidden moments where time can be stolen away with your special someone. And her greatest strengths lie in these quieter moments, in songs like Bel Air Anthem, where Angiuli channels her inner Karen Carpenter to present a throwback anthem on love’s crimes. For her latest record, entitled New Hands, Natali branches out to find these places, and you’ll make them your own secret too. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Meet Nacho Cano, a Mexico City native who moved to California at the ripe age of ten. From a young age, Cano began exploring music by creating melodies on his grandmother’s piano. By middle school, the young musician had learned guitar and began recording compositions in his school’s recording studio. Through memories of love and romance, Cano currently writes songs under the moniker Twin Cabins. Highly influenced by his time in sunny California, the multi-instrumentalist creates beautiful, hazy bedroom dream pop. Although Cano has yet to set a release date for his debut album, I’m Sure, a sampler is available via Bandcamp that features six of the nine tracks. – Katrina Nattress

Former Morningwood vocalist Chantel Claret is gearing up for the June 19th release of her solo effort The One, The Only… The album was written and co-produced by Chantal with the help of Rob Kleiner (David Guetta, Cee Lo) and mixed by Mark "Exit" Goodchild (Erykah Badu, Outkast). The feisty songstress has taken a newfound soulful turn, which has already paired her up alongside other contemporary pop startlets like Adele and Janelle Monáe. You can can catch her live at the Troubadour in West Hollywood on June 19th. 

Echo Park-based songwriter Simone White shows a more adventurous side on her new album, "Silver Silver." The new music is a change of pace from her folky style found on previous releases. As opposed to those earlier albums where White worked with Nashville producer Mark Nevers, she stayed local this time around and worked with Samuel Bing and Julian Wass of LA band Fol Chen. Listening to the songs on the album gives the impression that White was searching for an alternate world. The first single, "What the Devil Brings", is full of unconventional motion. Instead of free flowing melodies that are easy to follow along, the song has a bit of a spasmodic feel. White sings at a whisper, but maintains bright and absorbing qualities. The new album will be released on the London label Honest Jon’s, which is affiliated with Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz fame. "Silver Silver" will be available on May 8th and features collaborations with Andrew Bird, Thao, and Victoria Williams. Flowing the release, White will travel NY, Switzerland, Netherlands and Denmark for a few shows. – Karla Hernández 

Though Drug Cabin is a band still in its infant stages, its members are not new to the indie music game. Led by Nathan Thelen (Pretty Girls Make Graves, Moonrats) and Marcus Congleton (Ambulance LTD), the hazy, dreamy folk/pop created by the duo is perfect for its debut self-titled EP’s June 19 release. The record came into fruition in the summer of 2010 with the help of Thelen’s former PGMG bandmate Nick DeWitt (Liars). With DeWitt wearing the producer hat, the two recorded a handful of songs at friend Josh Klinghoffer’s (Red Hot Chili Peppers) house, resulting in a six-song collection featuring Thelen’s soothing timbre and sun-drenched instrumentation. After producing the EP, Thelen met Congleton, and though not a part of the recording process, Congleton has become a vital part of Drug Cabin. The two Los Angeles transplants are currently working on tracks featuring both of them on vocal/songwriting duties. Stay tuned for live dates in the LA area! – Katrina Nattress

Local band Luna Is Honey released a new song, entitled "No Moon", and it’s quite a jam. The vocals are practically buried under guitars loaded with reverb and overdrive, but it’s one of those songs where you don’t need to hear what’s being said to understand the feelings being portrayed. Labeled as post-punk, which is an interesting enough moniker, they definitely carry punk roots in the frenetic drums and heavy guitars. But they transcend labels adding shoegazey-guitars and an unavoidable fun sound to keep your toes tapping. They play many local shows so keep up to date with where they are on their Facebook page. – Taylor Lampela

When you’re stationed in front of your computer for hours on end, even the slightest break of routine is something to look forward to. At least this was how it was supposed to work out: having a pleasurable , Wednesday-afternoon conversation with Sue Scrofa frontwoman Alyssa Crisswell at a local North Hollywood coffee shop she had suggested was just what I needed to escape from the mind-numbing, everyday task of plugging computer chargers and going through copious amounts of press releases. But as fate would have it, my body decided to get a cold. Thus, I had no other choice but to conduct it as a telephone interview.

As I explained my discontent to Crisswell, she was kind in understanding the sudden change of setting. So as I proceeded to rearrange my notes with the purpose of turning it into that of a typical Q & A, the conversation instantly turned candid. She excuses herself and says, “Oh wait. My cat is drinking my leftover smoothie”. As I thought about how that can logistically happen – if a smoothie is inside a sealed cup – I proceeded to ask her about the cat motif present in their sophomore release White Cat. “I have two cats. I’m a crazy cat lady – although, some people think that the name of the band has to do with cats – but it actually means pig in latin.”

I’ve never been one to appreciate the feline species, let alone understand the bond betweens humans and cats. But as she explained, I instantly found a deeper and more significant emotion behind her words. “I didn’t have any brothers and sisters growing up. I just had a cat.”, she reassures. It all correlates to the high value Alyssa gives to the concept of family, so much so that they were actually part of the recording process early on. “The first album [Alabamulance] was recorded by myself using a Tascam eight track stereo tape player, and my parents actually play on that record”, she says. “The artwork in our latest release was actually painted by my dad”.

Sue Scrofa was conceived with modest intentions in rural Birmingham, Alabama. It began as a vehicle for Crisswell’s solo songwriting exploits. But like that of a drifting soul, the project has evolved through ongoing stages…and different settings. It can all be attributed to Alyssa’s unwearying work ethic and persistence. “I’ve been doing the project for a long time, and it has spanned to three different cities", she says. "It started in Boston, at Emerson when I went to college. I moved to Alabama where I met two of the other band members. And then we moved to Los Angeles together”.

Even if she’s now a bit more settled in terms of location, Crisswell continues to make sacrifices for the sake of maintaining the Sue Scrofa name intact. “For White Cat, I had to drive ninety minutes to get to my engineers’ [Shane Jewell] house – twice a week", she says. "Both working full time jobs. It makes it really difficult. I really want to do this for a living, so you have to find a happy medium between these things”.

Early Sue Scrofa records do have what she describes as a “lo-fi sentiment with some electronic effects”. But today’s Sue Scrofa has a more defined sound – it still transmits a sunny and lackadaisical disposition, but the production quality has an enhanced amount of bounce and kick. The band’s sound is still built around gradually strumming guitars, but the swinging uptempo tracks now have more of a glare… a rhythmic oomph. Some of that early quirk has been shaved off in favor of a more polished, hook driven sound that will definitely satisfy the palate of the mainstream listener. One thing that remains is Crisswell’s love for twang. “It still has a very overt country vibe”, she says. “I just can’t help it. I’m from Alabama, I guess. That’s the way we play guitar and strum”.

What fairly distinguishes Sue Scrofa’s home grown blend of toe’ tappin folk rock is the fluctuating vocal inflection found in Crisswell’s voice. She does look up to country leaning artists like Loretta Lynn and Neko Case, but I also find that her vocal harmonizing also falls along the lines of nineties singer-songwriters like Tanya Donnelly and Sarah Shannon. “It’s interesting you mention that because one of our new songs is totally nineties”, she laughs. It’s really more of a happy accident in terms of influence, as Crisswell herself is starting to delve into the raw directness of that particular era. “It sounds very straightforward – just natural and really strong voices. Strong singers.”

Crisswell seems meekly content with all they have achieved, but she’s more than aware that there’s a lot of road that hasn’t been tread. “I’d love to do a proper West Coast tour, and especially an East Coast tour – that’s where were from”, she underlines. Still, we’re excited about this year – getting our music out there and meeting other bands”.

To my surprise, Crisswell is very outspoken and impetuous. She radiates with a warmth and timeless grace, perhaps a quality she still carries from her humble upbringing. As I explained to her the disadvantages of doing a phone interview and how its’ outcome will depend of the subject matter’s willingness to speak, she was quick to crack one on me. “I hope it makes your life easier. And now you have to edit this girl babbling through her whole interview about her cats”, she quips. I was quick to reassure to her that it happens. To which she responded, “It doesn’t happen. It happened today”. Perhaps the day didn’t turn out as I originally envisioned, but I can’t deny that she kept me entertained. – Juan Edgardo Rodríguez

Living in Los Angeles, where it seems new folk or indie-pop bands are born on a daily basis, can make it easy to forget about the few rock bands, which occasionally emerge through the cracks. Vas Dafrans is one of these rock bands. Except they are not abashedly emanating in some secret, dark corner – they are claiming their space and spreading their experimental-rock roots from their hometown of North Hollywood, across Los Angeles county lines. Their sound? It’s a surge of high-energy, infused with uninhibited riffs and melodic vocals that are sure to erase any doubts you had about rock still being alive. If you weren’t able to check out their show at the Troubadour this past Saturday, you can still pick-up a copy of their latest self-titled EP on itunes. – Tuesday Phillips