There is something oddly familiar about Layne Putnam and I can’t quite put my finger on it. Perhaps it’s because she just did what every teenager dreams of doing, uprooting from home and moving to the bustling city of Los Angeles. Though it doesn’t end there, this 19 year-old bombshell released her newest single on April 1st off her EP Warrior, "Somebody". An indie punk rock jam with an 80’s pop feel, it tells the story of leaving her hometown for the big city to follow her dreams. The video does a great job at highlighting the sharp guitar and drumbeats while adding powerful visuals to tie the two together. A new sensation to the dark indie pop world, Layne is hoping to positively impact her audience on her upcoming U.S. tour. Layne’s Spring tour dates can be found on her official website, Facebook and Tumblr. – Kayla Hay

Alt country band Seneca & The River have just signed with up-and-coming folk-based label Pop Cautious for the release of their self-titled debut. Featuring the lush and winding "Hold Me Up", the band’s sparse compositions simulate the drifting ebb of a calm wind alongside Seneca Pettee’s sly country twang. 

You can catch them at Sadie Kitchen and Lounge on Wednesday, April 15 as part of their weekly Sadie Sessions event. Attendees will be able to obtain a copy of the EP prior to its April 24 release date. 

A calm, sedate frame of mind is imbued in Dinosaur Parade, a folk quartet from four different parts of the world who now proudly call Los Angeles their home. They first met when lead guitarist James Ruvalcaba, the band’s only LA native, was seeking a number of musicians to form an "indie project" without any clear notion of how it would sound. He enlisted Americans Brittany Riffe-Ries and Anthony Prochaska (from West Virginia and Texas, respectively) and England native Michael Hardman on lead vocals, though their breezy, easygoing songs suggest Southern California informed their overall approach to songwriting. "Driving out/I’m leaving town", sings Hardman on lead single "El Camino Road", a strummy, gentle number accompanied with clucking pelican sounds and beach waves that demonstrates a candid naturalism. 

Dinosaur Parade will be releasing their debut EP, Reading Clouds, on April 7, which they’ll be celebrating with a release party at Hotel Cafe on April 17. 

After settling down and finding joy in a home and family, married duo Big Harp has released a new single offbeat from their past endeavors. In 2012, Stefanie Drootin-Senseney and Chris Senseney recorded a song and directed a video called “Everybody Pays” for the Showcasing Artists at SXSW. The newest single, “It’s A Shame”, is something much more charismatic and upbeat, a song for the era. Their indie-pop feel brings back guitar strums from the 60’s and 80’s, creating a hard-hitting, melodramatic power-pop single. The quick lead into the chorus amps up your adrenaline, to jump on tables and windmill whatever length hair you have and just let loose. It’s not very often that married couples (with kids) can find energy or time to have dinner together let alone release a full-length album. But later this year, Big Harp will be doing just that; the couple hosted two invite-only release parties held earlier this month to set their new album in motion. Stefanie and Chris Senseney, with help from Fat Possum Records and producer John Congleton, will be furthering the pattern of their unique, contemporary material for the new album later this year. – Kayla Hay

 Pop punk quartet Upset are releasing a new EP, ’76, on March 31st via Lauren Records. The first unveil off the EP, "Glass Ceiling", is a fuzzed out rocker with a hooky melody and jerky punk rhythms. In other words, business as usual but nevertheless great. 

The band will also be supporting Colleen Green on an upcoming tour throughout the month of April. 

Dream pop quartet Winter recently released their first debut full-length Supreme Blue Dream, a stellar concoction of heavily-effected guitars and twinkling synth arpeggios that perfectly complements their angelic harmonies. What began as a collaborative effort between main songwriters Samira Winter and Nolan Eley is now a full-fledged project lead by Winter, one that’s crested with icy caps of ringing guitars and lavish ethereal pop. You can catch the band play a string of shows during SXSW, which will hopefully lead to a hometown show soon enough.

Supreme Blue Dream is currently available through local Echo Park label Lollipop. 

The punk rock genre will never die, and Slutever is here to make sure of that. The female duo of Rachel Gagliardi and Nicole Synder recently moved to the City of Angels from Philadelphia with hopes of making it big. The two released their newest album Almost Famous on February 17th, including some previously leaked singles like the track “Smother”. The punk rock genre has a history of aggressive instrumentation, snotty attitudes and political confrontation, more so thanks to famous artists such as The Who, The Velvet Underground, The Deviants and The Rolling Stones. But the genre also changed the meaning of the word punk. Slutever has a fun, upbeat, girlie and rockabilly feel to their music; they fit perfectly under the punk rock scene. If you enjoy friendship, fro-yo, the Kardashians and the Internet then Slutever is the band for you. – Kayla Hay

The artful soundscapes of vōx, the brainchild of Sarah Winters, put her in a new league of songwriters stretching the limits of pop conventions. Her second single, "Money", is a thoughtful, confident stride forward that features a frantic undercurrent of layered textures lurking behind her vibrant, weathered vocals. 

"Money" will be featured on her up-and-coming EP "Put The Poison In Me", which is due out later this Spring.

Afro-pop band Fool’s Gold has just announced their third full-length Flying Lessons, which is officially coming out on Record Store Day. They’ve also shared a video for first single "’I’m In Love", a vibrant, colorful display of visuals made of digitalized cut-outs that perfectly encapsulates the band’s festive charm. 

You can catch them play a hometown show at The Troubadour on May 14th. 

Darkwave-influenced duo Ultra Violent Rays are further expanding their sound with their latest single "Vegas". The track’s esoteric dub passages and wobbly synth loops are more of an open admission from their previous single "Voyeur", which recoiled into an ominous dark corner with its sinister piano strokes and monolithic drum hits. The duo will be playing a show at The Golden Box on March 11. 

The 80’s called, they said they wanted their music back. We said no. Shelina Louise, of PANTHAR, has been gradually establishing her name in the streets of L.A. with the collaboration of Allison Wolfe. After hitting the studio with Mark Raines of BRMC, Summer Twins and Gothic Tropic, the duo has been able to craft a poppy, classic 80’s sound. Releasing their newest single, “Ghost Rocket”, on February 17th, Louise and Wolfe take listeners back to The Breakfast Club, sliding through the halls with Judd Nelson and Emillio Estevez as retro, space age, and punk-rock comes alive. Guitar riffs, dreamy electric jams and artful lyrics mash up to capture their vintage analog debut. PANTHARS is a “dreamy feedback-induced coma” that will have you zoning out of your reality and right into the 80’s punk era. – Kayla Hay

Who is Boris, exactly? According to downtempo synth pop four piece BREAKFAST, he’s the leecher who abuses of his high posotion without any real inslight into the concept of artistry. A mentor with experience, sure, but one who’s misguided and thinks about the big picture without considering a true artist’s essence. It comes on the heels of their previous single "Diane", a smiliar chracter study that follows the band’s knack for dubby, texture-rich modular synthesizers. I wonder what character they’ll think of next.