New Diplomat headlines Noise Pop festival at Bottom of the Hill

Never miss a Sunday show; festival-going-music-lovers know this. Personally, I’d like to also add, “never miss an opener.”  Thankfully, I didn’t. The night before Thanksgiving last year, I found myself at The Independent in San Francisco, drawn by the allure of covering the headlining band, We Are Scientists. Among the roster of performers were two […]

The Slashes says goodbye to close a friend in “Limo Tint”

The genre of darkwave capitalizes on feelings of emptiness, apathy, and futility to sell records… but that only scratches the surface. Sure, the guitar most often pierces a post punk song layered with a hefty amount of reverb, guiding the listener through somber sounds and monotone vocals until the very end. But there are also […]

Rock, ska, reunions… Coachella changes it up for 2024

We’re living in an era of nostalgia, with even the weirdest fads returning full-force. Reboots of 80s movies are bringing in the most chatter at the box office, while bands that were seemingly forgotten a few years ago are currently selling out tours at numbers never thought plausible. So… it was only a matter of […]

Princess Goes gets spacy synthy at San Diego’s Music Box

It’s Friday night at the Music Box in downtown San Diego… the Friday following New Year’s Eve (a mere five days prior), meaning most inhabitants of this coastal town are in hibernation mode until further notice. But not the synth-loving, darkwave fans of Princess Goes — a sonically progressive band led by renowned actor Michael […]

Urban Heat shares origins & 2024 outlook at Darker Waves Fest

In November 2023, the inaugural Darker Waves Festival wowed New Wave fans with its impressively iconic 80s and darkwave headliners, such as New Order, Tears for Fears, She Wants Revenge, and Echo and the Bunnymen. This festival also featured a slew of great performances beyond the headliners, with many festival-goers finding new bands to love […]

SEMA Fest 2023: Day One

The inaugural SEMA Fest 2023 day one proved to be an awesome festival with a something for everyone to enjoy. This extravaganza celebrated car culture, music, and all things automotive with an unmatched level of energy and enthusiasm. Drawing inspiration from iconic names and brands, SEMA Fest transformed into the ultimate automotive playground, captivating a […]

Outside Lands 2023: Day Three

Sunday Funday kicked off in grand fashion with Gasolina, the world’s largest touring reggaeton party, showcasing the best sounds in classic and current reggaeton, dembow, dancehall and beyond hosted in Cocktail Magic. Droves of fans twerked their way to Lindley Meadow to celebrate Gasolina, whose mission is to create a community within the reggaeton and […]

Catharsis & clove cigarettes at Cruel World 2023

Goldenvoice delivered another dose of poetic depth and darkwave to the apathetically inclined, in the form of the second annual Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, California. From near and far, New Wave-lovers, old-school punks, and all-out goths got together to celebrate the best synthy hits the 80s had to offer. Walking into the Rose Bowl, […]

Music savant, Masego, encourages self-reflection with ‘Self-titled’ album

Masego is an extraordinarily gifted musician, artist, singer, producer, performer, DJ, and creative director. He is what I like to call a, “Multi-Talented-Millennial”. The number of skills he continues to gain by the year are unmistakably part of the 23 year old Jamaican-American brand. As a musician he is loved by crowds across all genres […]

Good Bison releases newest EP, ‘Ghost on Mulholland’

Stepping into the new year with some quality easy-listening in a genre-less format, the L.A. musicians forming Good Bison have something fresh for you. Dropped on February 21st, the eerie EP Ghost on Mulholland changes up the group’s previous sound a little, channeling that retro-alternative vibe that gripped us all in our younger days. The […]

Swedish singer Tove Lo releases new single “Borderline”

We are lost in the magic as Tove Lo released another hit after her Dirt Femme album release from October 2022.  Lo described the song as “The drama you cause inside yourself and with another person if you feel insecure. You test them. This song has existed for a long time and I’ve always felt […]