High voltage when we kiss.

I feel like I'm late to the Bad Suns party. Their debut single (and only official song to date) came out in February. So it's just been floating around the net, getting blog attention from a few of my favorites, The Burning Ear and Neon Gold, before finding its way to me. And being from LA, these dudes got tons of well-deserved love from KROQ whenever their single drop.



This song is absolutely perfect for anyone that digs Imagine Dragons, X Ambassadors, or Ghost Beach. It fits right in to that neat little niche that alternative radio stations love and that I completely adore. With its slow-burning start and catchy-as-all-hell chorus, "Cardiac Arrest" is a listening staple for me at the moment.



The song is available for purchase on their bandcamp. But, of course, you can always stream from their soundcloud and like them on Facebook.

Introducing: Eddie Gomez

Eddie Gomez may be on to something. The Oregonian-raised, LA-based singer/songwriter has taken an older style and dressed it up for today. With a soulful stomp and a catchy chorus, his tune "Someday" has burned itself into my brain. Produced by the currently ON FIRE Captain Cuts crew (the Smallpools EP and several killer remixes), this tune is going places.



It's already been featured by Pigeons & Planes and Perez Hilton. I wouldn't be surprised to here it climb up some adult contemporary charts. Lovers of Amos Lee and Lenny Kravitz, look into this dude.

Eddie Gomez on
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There's no sun today, but, hey, I'm out to play.

It's been a long and fruitful few weeks out in LA. I don't have a lot to tell about GRAMMY Camp or the days thereafter. I'm just looking forward to getting back in the swing of things here on the blog.

New music has been flying in. I'm working on a review for Bad News Bears, a possible collaboration with All Things Go, continuing the concert series, doing an interview or two, and, of course, my scavenging never stopped.

A quick sample, here: Sombear's debut album dropped last Tuesday and it's everything I wanted. That's right. Brad Hale, the drummer for the Now, Now is back with a full album of electropop and chillwave goodness. If you need to be reminded what Sombear sounds like, try to imagine if CHVRCHES were led by a guy...or just check out my first post on them. The songs range from ethereal, skying pop to laid-back chillwave. It's a great summer album and there's a free stream of the entire album over at Consequences Of Sound that I highly recommend.

Bonus! He'll be playing the following tour dates with Dessa from Doomtree:

9/14 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
9/15 – Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
9/17 – Allston, MA @ Great Scott
9/19 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live
9/21 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Smiling Moose
9/22 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
9/23 – Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
9/26 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar <------- I'll be there (probably)
9/27 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement

Recommended Tracks: "Incredibly Still", "LA" (post title lyrics), "Love You In The Dark", "The Good"

While there was still sense in my mind.

Smallpools has finally released a second song. And it's doozy. It's called "Mason Jar" and it completely recaptures the original magic of "Dreaming".



These LA dudes conjure up comparisons to the likes of Passion Pit and Two Door Cinema Club, with vocals that sound a little like fun. These guys have nigh on infinite pop potential and their upcoming debut EP release (JULY 16TH!!!) is marked on my calendar in red.

Also, I'll be seeing them on their first ever live tour which happens to actually stop within reasonable driving distance of me. So...you could say I'm a little psyched.

Introducing: Fire in the Hamptons

Fire in the Hamptons reminds me of another band a whole lot. That band is Neon Trees. Like Neon Trees, F.I.T.H. manages to rock while also being dance floor friendly. These LA boys have got it figured out and have apparently been flying under the radar for almost three years.
Their song "I Met A Girl" undoubtedly rocks. It sounds like a stray Black Keys song that somebody added synthesizers to.



Fire in the Hamptons has released a self-titled album, that I will totally be getting my ears on soon, and a few music videos. My favorite of which is "Stargazer". It's spacey electrorock at its finest.



Of course, don't forget to check out "Humanimal", which has been featured by KCRW, one of the tastemaking radio stations in LA.

Introducing: Books of Love

Books of Love is a kinda sorta super group comprised of Vivian Girls' Katy Goodman and The Hush Sound's Greta Morgan. They've teamed up to produce tuneage that sounds gloriously like The Best Coast. Their origin story, as told on their bandcamp, goes as follows:

While hiking past the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, friends Katy Goodman and Greta Morgan were struck with the idea to record a song together: A song about physics and love, science and romance, space and time. Have you ever felt the lovesick pain of falling for someone from a different dimension? We have too.

And the very next day, Katy and Greta recorded "Space Time."
 
In addition to that song, they made a music video to accompany it:

 

Introducing: Smallpools

This is unbelievable. I mean, really, unbelievable. I'm completely baffled when bands show up out of the blue and release an absolutely stellar single. Not that I'm surprised they're good, it's just surprising that they're already this good. With that said, let me introduce you to Smallpools and their debut single "Dreaming".



  I was sold immediately. Pretty much from the opening notes. Small Pools sounds like someone took Swiss Lips, Autostrada, The 1975, Fun., Foster The People, and Passion Pit and then put them in a blender set on puree. This will be one of the songs of my summer. I've also neglected to mention, it's a FREE DOWNLOAD RIGHT NOW. Download it now.

This song has huge radio potential. I think you'll be hearing this on the radio soon. Even though I've only heard one song...it's good enough that I would commit to buying an album right now. I need more. I need it now. Thank you, sincerely, Neon Gold, for bringing them to my attention.

Introducing: Bad Things

It seems odd that I made it through even five posts without naming a band from LA, but, apparently, Bad Things is the first one. These peeps came out of nowhere, like bands tend to do nowadays, with a fully developed single and a cool aesthetic. They sound like Local Natives with an electronic tinge to them. It's electro-powered rock, NOT electronic rock. It's harmonies, drums, and an epic chorus. Now another thing bands tend to do nowadays is release one ridiculously good single and then take the time to develop everything else while people fawn over that one song (e.g. The Neighbourhood). This is exactly what Bad Things is doing with "Caught Inside". I can't blame them. I'll take this one perfect song. I just hope there's more in the pipeline.



I'm sure this single is a sign of great things to come from Bad Things. I can't wait for more.