Does music always have to be so serious? It’s sometimes frowned upon when musicians can carry a tune with a big ‘ol grin, as if there’s anything wrong when open-hearted sentiments are amplified with feral passion. The effusive folk-pop of four-piece Gestures & Sounds sure is lively, but its tunefulness is well-balanced and sensible. Their latest single, “Ass Over Tea Kettle,” is a piano-driven pop ditty that demonstrates a band who’s genuinely excited to be playing together, one that will bring people together on a live setting once that fierce guitar strumming segues into their spirited harmonies. The accompanying video also radiates with a colorful glow, a labor of love coming from four film majors who were involved in developing the promo cut from beginning to end. Things sure seem rather bleak out there in the world, but the beaming Gestures & Sounds have a united and resolute response to these trying times: sometimes it helps to just lighten up.

“Ass Over a Tea Kettle” is the first single off of the band’s debut album, Bill Nye Thinks We’re a Band, due out in September 15. – Juan Rodríguez

It’s been a good four years since we last heard of Happy Hollows. The post punk duo were always quite adept at refreshing the rhythmic thrust of eighties new wave with a more joyful anthemic thrust, but not without considering the gloom that also surrounds it. And it sounds as if they’re taking it right where they left off with their latest single, "Feel the Moon," a synth-driven stomper with a krautrock bent that also reminds us of Sarah Negahdari’s spellbinding vocal delivery. In a year that’s had so many unexpected reappearances in the indie rock landscape, theirs is a welcome and necessary return.

"Feel the Moon" is the first single off of the band’s latest release, entitled Concordia. Before the album’s September 8 release, you can catch them play a hometown show at The Echo on July 17. Check out the official video below. – Juan Rodríguez

Saint Blasphemer live and breathe by hard rock’s cathartic embrace. The Santa Ana foursome follow a no-frills, murky grunge sound that combines classic metal influences with Sabbath-informed metallic riffs. Led by lead singer Thomas Monroe’s effortless maxims, which veer from angst to euphoria, the band’s monochromatic power chords closely evoke the surge of early nineties alternative, an era that continues to resonate despite its slightly anachronistic form. Their aversion to facile pop song forms is commendable, though, as they build a powerful connection with an openness that’s impossible to forge.

Saint Blasphemer’s latest EP, Theotokos, is out now via their official bandcamp page. – Juan Rodríguez

Los Angeles better prepare for the artistic vulnerability of "I Can’t Feel A Thing." Holy Wars, featuring fierce frontwoman Kat Leon, is both captivating and emotionally revealing to the human psyche.  The video showcases Leon dressed in gold with an all black background while hands grab and pull at her. As members of the audience, we enjoy interpreting lyrics and videos ourselves and relating them to personal experiences. In this particular video, the dark pop ensemble portrays someone trying to escape the things that are holding them back. Which creates something of a homage, as Leon recently lost both her parents back in 2015 and released their Mother EP after months of much needed grieving.

Holy Wars has re-emerged from the pandemonium with a dark past but an even brighter future. The melodic band will be dropping Mother on June 30, but slide by The Hi Hat on the 29th for their early release show. – Kayla Hay

Noise rock trio Sterile Jets focus their nervous energy on "Fireside Drive", a stirring display of brazen discontent that communicates a verbally tempestuous treatise. The Long Beach trio are distilling the poison that’s consumed them through a period of darkness, configuring those emotions in gloriously muscular form with an onslaught of guitar distortion and groove-oriented experimentalism. It’s a difficult, though also inviting, listen that finds the band expanding upon the more forthright thrust of 2014’s Liqour Store. 

Sterile Jets have also released an accompanying video for the track, which is the first single off of their latest full length, entitled No Gods No Loss. – Juan Rodríguez

A name can sometimes invite some immediate skepticism. And Umm is unfailingly straight, but don’t let the marked hesitation fool you: the new project from Stefanie Drootin and Chris Senseney command your attention from the very first second with their visceral brand of fuzz pop. Their first single, "I’m In Love", reimagines the guitar assaults of classic alternative rock with some chamber ornamentation, making for a deliriously explosive three minutes that will keep you on your toes.

"I’m In Love" will appear on their debut album Double Worshipper, which is out on July 28 via Majestic Litter. – Juan Rodríguez

The calming and mesmerizing voice of Nora Rothman is both refreshing and contemporary; the simplicity of her newest five track EP will have new and old fans swooning over her. After taking a six month gap to help with the Clinton campaign, Rothman’s return to music is backed with Grammy nominated producer Felix McTeigue and Drew Guido. Rothman’s beautiful sophistication has remedies of Norah Jones, Dillon and Sarah Jaffe, and it is simply breath taking.

Rothman will release her self-titled EP on July 21, and will have a release show at The Hotel Café on the 15th at 8 pm. Go show some love. – Kayla Hay

Power-pop duo Tempest le Mans have been quietly refining their songwriting acumen ever since they graced us with Four Songs back in 2015. Their new single, "To Blame", is an articulate and deeply felt ballad on making amends, calmly sung by Nathan Castial as it unfolds into a shimmering rocker that channels the likes of Matthew Sweet and Lou Barlow. It’s another pop gem from a band who’s inching their way into a potentially stellar full-length. 

"To Blame" is the first single off of their latest EP, Apology. 

Swaggering duo Dead Posey are revitalizing rock conventions with their sandblasted new EP, Freak Show. Performed with a soulful undercurrent, singer Danielle Souza and guitarist Kyle Foster offer a no-nonsense display of rock n’ roll while adding an anthemic touch to their fizzing choruses. 

The five-track collection is out on June 2 via Position Music. You can also listen to another preview off of the EP, "Holy Grail," below!

Folk singer songwriter Neil Holyoak, better known as Holy Oak, makes you feel something, even when you don’t want to. The musician sets a tone for his newest single, "Isabelle," from the first few strums of his guitar. Through his gentle voice and soulful acoustics, he brings out a story within you that probably isn’t too hard to trace back. Holy Oak sings about remembrance, time passing and things changing, “…missing people who have gone while also being grateful for their presence in my life.” His warm, full circle approach to music casts a nostalgic sense of closure that you can’t seem to reach. It’s interesting that two points can be so close together, but so far apart all at once.

Neil Holyoak is a one of kind folk and country singer, and he isn’t to be passed up. Keep an eye out for their newest album, Second Son, out this June. – Kayla Hay

The artful dynamics of trio Shit Giver leave an indelible impact. On their debut full-length, entitled …Life, the band’s knotty guitar lines and undulating bass grooves propel forward with an urgency that sounds like a more refined take on hardcore punk. Led by Preston Mendell’s mirthless sing-speak, there’s an assaulting intensity to their cutting fury that does seek to modernize the post-collegiate malaise of early to mid-nineties post-punk. It’s a remarkable step forward from their promising demo recordings, as it perfectly exemplifies how they direct that raw vitriol with a trenchant intelligence that cannot be ignored.

…Life is out now on their official bandcamp page. Though they’re currently touring the Pacific Northwest, Shit Giver will be back soon to play a hometown show at the Bootleg on July 15. 

Merilous Salazar and Jessie Meehan have found a new way to present their musical talent to their fans, through female liberation and pop-punk vibrations. The duo’s newest EP, entitled Coup, has stirred some empowering musical tastes. The riot pop group has been promoting feminist and LGBTQ rights for awhile now, and with all the commotion in the past few months, it seems only right to give these kick-ass females some recognition in the music community. In a time when women are silenced as a whole, it feels damn good to be spoken for by the “pussy grabs back liberation”.

Get empowered and go find WASI at the Asian Pacific Heritage Month Showcase in LA on May 24.