One of my favorite parts of living in Los Angeles -- if not my absolute favorite -- is how many different music genres, venues and scenes are represented within an hour's drive. Exciting artists are popping up all over, from South L.A. to Orange County to the Inland Empire.
It's hard to stay on top of it all, even if you live and breathe music, so here are a few recommendations to get you started (especially if you like shoegaze). Fair warning: This list is not supposed to represent everything going on in Southern California, just a few personal favorites.
Nailah Hunter - Lovegaze
L.A.-based harpist and singer Nailah Hunter's album Lovegaze came out at the very beginning of this year. I wholeheartedly recommend it for when you're having a moment of calm, or need to have one. The album shows off Hunter's range -- some of her songs wouldn't be out of place on a poppy Spotify playlist, while others resemble Björk's experimental approach to songwriting.
Mo Dotti - Opaque
Moving on from Lovegaze, I'm going to focus on shoegaze for a little bit. The alt rock subgenre has totally blown up in the 2020s, and as someone who was uploading obscure shoegaze albums to YouTube back in 2010, I always crave bands like Mo Dotti that really know their references. Don't call them a throwback act, though -- they have an inventive approach to chords and melodies, and I can already tell their choices of chords and melodies are going to hold me through the dreary winter months.
Cold Gawd - I'll Drown on This Earth
Other bands, take note: This track, "Malibu Beach House," is a great example of how to sound heavy and pack a punch while still staying true to that dreamy shoegaze sound. The Rancho Cucamonga-based band opened for the excellent Mexico City band Mint Field at El Cid in Silver Lake this year, and I'm excited to see where 2025 takes them.
Julie - My Anti-Aircraft Friend
Julie started up in Orange County, and they've blown up with their album my anti aircraft friend. They've been building an audience locally for a while, and they actually got a major label deal when they only had a few songs out -- they're labelmates with Charli XCX on Atlantic Records. Their live shows dial up the Sonic Youth influence to 11, which I love. Please bring earplugs, though. (That probably applies to most of these bands, come to think of it.)
Estrada - "Wrong Again"
Estrada didn't put out a full album this year -- if you're reading this, please drop it ASAP. But he did release this icy, vital song "Wrong Again." I love his take on 80s and 90s rock, and I also love that Estrada tagged this single as "foogaze" and "chologoth" on Bandcamp.
03 Greedo & Helluva - Hella Greedy
I'm going to finish out with 03 Greedo, who's been one of my favorite figures in L.A. rap for a while now. He's super prolific, and one of his projects from this year is a collaboration with the Detroit producer Helluva. Lots of Detroit rappers have this skittish offbeat flow with bars full of punchlines, and 03 Greedo is kind of a perfect match for the sound, especially given how California and Michigan rap have been influencing each other for years.