L.A. Witch have a new album coming out this summer, but to conserve their energy for its release, they’re playing only two shows in the U.S. beforehand. The second of those two shows will happen at Alex’s Bar on January 31st. The trio of Ellie English, Sade Sanchez, and Irita Pai toured Europe a second time last year, but compared to their busy 2018, the past several months have seen L.A. Witch taking their time to brew up a plan to become indomitable in these first years of the new decade. If you wonder what L.A. Witch’s 2020 release has in store for you, take a listen to their 2018 EP Octubre, which blends psych rock, smoky blues, and punk into a stark and sultry collection of tracks. We’ve featured "Haunting" below. – Will Sisskind

If you haven’t made weekend plans yet, and would like to spend your Saturday evening screaming at the top of your lungs, head to The Factory downtown and check out Zig Zags‘ record release show. The band put out their LA to Pedro EP last month, but they’ll mark it with a performance on a bill with fellow acts The Side Eyes, Nice, and Urns & Argyles. The new EP is a split 7" with Mike Watt and The Secondmen, which includes Zig Zags’ take on The Minutemen’s "Political Nightmare" along with a new original called "Running Out Of Red". Get ready to spend your weekend with Zig Zags; take a listen to "Running Out Of Red" below. – Will Sisskind

To celebrate a full decade of indie rock superstardom, Best Coast will play a homecoming show at The Novo on February 28th. In 2010, the band — then the fledgling project of Bethany Cosenntino — released Crazy For You, which jettisoned Best Coast into college rock radio station playlists, music festivals, and third-generation iPhones everywhere. Now, the band has released the track "Everything Has Changed" and announced their upcoming album Always Tomorrow, their first collection of studio material since 2015. The new record stems from Cosentino breaking her writer’s block, going sober, and imagining a more hopeful life. You can watch the video for "Everything Has Changed" below in order to get yourself ready to welcome Best Coast back to the stage at the end of February. – Will Sisskind 

To miss Glass Beach‘s show at The Echo on January 25th would add more sorrow to the world. The post-emo indie rockers have set out on their West Coast tour, which will take them up and down the Pacific Coast and into Nevada. The band has just signed with Run For Cover Records for a vinyl re-release of their debut album; since the signing, their following on social media has grown. Michigan-based group Dogleg — another up-and-coming indie punk tour-de-force — and fellow emo-punk rockers Kara’s Walk Home will join Glass Beach for this must-see show. Get yourself ready by listening to the first track on the band’s debut album, "classic j dies and goes to hell part 1", below. – Will Sisskind

Those with a vested interest in LA’s shoegaze community shouldn’t sleep on Split Moon, who will release their newest album Slow Satellite on February 28th. The project of singer and guitarist Mark Starr, this rebirth of the band LEAF creates music that sounds like a whole symphony; the wailing of Starr’s guitar layers over and over upon itself, washing you with waves of trance-inducing sound. The group’s first single from Slow Satellite, "Shades", has the post-punk elements of Joy Division and the shoegaze bliss of My Bloody Valentine and Swervedriver; take a listen to it below. – Will Sisskind

CAPYAC bring the party wherever they perform, so catch them livening up your Thursday night at Moroccan Lounge on January 23rd. The show precedes the release of the electro-funk duo’s upcoming single "Dirty", which drops on January 31st. With festival performances and upcoming shows planned for Paris, Berlin, London, Copenhagen, Tijuana, Costa Mesa, and more, 2020 looks to keep CAPYAC busy electrifying crowds with their surreal dance and music act, during which anything can happen (including surprise pancakes, puppets, or impromptu improvisations which disappear into memory as soon as they’re done). If you want to see what tricks CAPYAC have up their sleeve this year, catch them on January 23rd at Moroccan Lounge. First, check out their latest video, done for a collaboration with songwriter Annabelle Maginnis called "Little Toes". – Will Sisskind

Irene Diaz returns after a long hiatus with her new single "Another Observer", a cut from her upcoming full-length Lovers & Friends, out later this year. In "Another Observer", the alt-pop singer-songwriter navigates lost love using her soulful voice and mournful arrangements. This slow jam comes with a music video depicting Diaz working through her grief in text message format as she sits in her car overlooking the California dusk. With moody and electronic textures on top of Diaz’s rich voice, "Another Observer" is just a taste of what’s to come later this year on Lovers & Friends; take a look at the video for the track now. – Will Sisskind

On January 24th, dream pop quartet Trends will mark the release of their debut album Palettes with a colorful show at The Roar Room. Trends has grown from lead vocalist Marina Paiz’s lo-fi solo project to a four-piece indie powerhouse, creating songs that expand from soft and introspective musings to rapid-fire proclamations in both sound and verse. Palettes has the band processing life’s complex moments through song; on tracks like "Ampersand" and "Blanket Party", Trends explore grief and missed opportunity, as well as what we do to cope and make our own way through our lives. Take a look at the music video for "Branches", a single from Palettes, below. – Will Sisskind 

Singer-songwriter Lily Kershaw put out Arcadia, her new album and follow-up to 2018’s acclaimed EP Lost Angeles, late last year, but this winter she’ll tour through Europe and the States to support the release. As her most intimate release to date, songs like "Always & Forever" showcase the passion and emotion behind Kershaw’s voice, as well as the rich arrangements backing her newest poetic and observant lyrics. Kershaw’s tour will take her Amsterdam, Munich, Paris, and London in late January and February; after a short break, she’ll visit San Francisco and San Diego before heading out to the East Coast. Take a look at the video for "Always & Forever" below. – Will Sisskind

Alexandra Savior has seen many places up and down the West Coast, and all of her experiences have led to the creation of The Archer, her sophomore studio album. Savior delivers her wistful lyrics in a voice and with arrangements that will remind indie fans of Lana Del Rey, with songs incorporating elements that are soft and airy as well as abrasive and thundering in their proclamations. The album focuses on feelings of isolation, as the inspiration came from an unhealthy relationship that Savior didn’t realize she was in. The music video for the title track focuses on Super 8-filmed grim scenes of a lighthouse in Port Townsend, WA, which symbolize the mood of being in that relationship at the time. Take a look at the video below, and make sure to check out the rest of Savior’s work on The Archer. – Will Sisskind

Bee Appleseed will release his new psych folk album Starflower’s Cosmic Soul on February 21st, but he has already shared a small part of his ethereal sound in the single "I Was Dreaming". The jangle pop of Bee Appleseed takes from Devendra Banhart and Beirut and tacks on the powerful wail of a saxophone, which matched with Appleseed’s voice creates a sound that embodies the meaning of spirit. Backed by a 15-piece band and a cloud of incense, Appleseed uses every facet of his musical ability to craft tracks that seek to help listeners find their own cosmic soul. Take a listen to "I Was Dreaming" below, and look out for Starflower’s Cosmic Soul in February. – Will Sisskind

A fourth wave of ska has emerged in full force, and LA is the epicenter from which its waves originate. Among the talented artists creating new music of this style is Maria Blues, who released her debut album Look Who It Is last month. The singer-songwriter fuses reggae, ska, cumbia, and soul together to create tracks that are catchy and emotions. Blues’s lyrics switch between English and Spanish and seek to uplift those who don’t often feel that they have a voice, especially women. Many of the tracks on Look Who It Is came from the last few years of Blues’s career, especially "Rude Monkey", which saw its music video released in 2018. To celebrate Look Who It Is, Blues and her band will play The Concert Lounge in Riverside on January 11th. Go check her out, and take a look now at the music video for "Rude Monkey". – Will Sisskind