New LA Adds: The Garden, Springtime Carnivore, Pearl Charles
The Garden - All Smiles Over Here :): The Garden are Orange County punk twins Wyatt and Fletcher Shears. Wyatt sings and plays bass, and Fletcher is the drummer. The band got its name because they want their music group to evolve and grow, like a garden—and man, have they grown! The Garden have gone from a smaller DIY punk band with a S/T tape on Burger in 2012 to walking the runway in Paris for Saint Laurent in 2013, being featured in several publications (Noisey, MTV, Interview Magazine, Dazed, and Huffington Post, among others), and having a cult-like following of teenage punks who attend all of their shows. All Smiles Over Here :) is their second full-length album, with their first being the album The Life and Times of a Paperclip, released in 2013, and three EPs released between 2012 and 2013: The Garden, Everything is Perfect and Rules. They are signed with Burger Records, but also affiliated with Epitaph Records. If I had to categorize their music based on more commonly known genres, I’d call their music electro power punk. They created their own word to describe their genre, though, called “Vada Vada,” and have coined related terms like “the VadaVerse” that frequently come up on their albums. For example, in the song “Jester’s Game,” Wyatt sings, “it’s the VV in which we trust,” and the first line in “Together We are Great,” is “I reside in the VV.” Vada Vada seems to be an alternate universe they have dreamt up where anything can happen. There’s so much energy in their music, kind of similar to Death Grips or Run the Jewels, except they’re more of a punk band than a hip-hop group. Wyatt’s lyrics are simple, but have a sort of rap-like delivery (think King Krule). Put on this record and you’ll get all of your homework done and be super productive. Expect lots of mosh pits and stage diving/crowd surfing at their live shows. Check out the video of their performance of “Gift” live to some of my punk friends stage diving! And if you’re into their music, check out each twin’s respective side project: Wyatt’s band, Enjoy, and Fletcher’s band, Puzzle. CHRISTINA
RIYL: Death Grips, Run the Jewels, King Krule, Cherry Glazerr, Puzzle, Enjoy
Recommended Tracks: “All Smiles Over Here :)” “Haha,” “Egg,” “This Could Build Us a Home,” “Gift,” “Red Green Yellow”
Springtime Carnivore - Springtime Carnivore: The solo project of Miss Greta Morgan, Springtime Carnivore is a mixup of hazy Cali rock n roll with bright pop melodies and flourishes. Greta Morgan moved here from Illinois and was part of bands Gold Motel and The Hush Sound. Her music has the same lightness that many other garage indie rock have such as Best Coast, Dum Dum Girls, and Vivian Girls. Except Springtime Carnivore is one of those projects that make music for you to smile. For you and your friends to drive down Pacific Coast Highway to. DYLAN
RIYL: Camera Obscura, The Black Keys, Dum Dum Girls
Recommended Tracks: "Name on a Matchbook," "Two Scars," "Sun Went Black"
Pearl Charles - Pearl Charles: Pearl Charles is a singer-songwriter signed with Burger Records. This is her debut album. There are so many eras and encompassed in her music, topped with smoky low-alto vocal harmonies. Her music can be described as 60s and 70s psychedelic acid rock mixed with Southern blues and Midwestern Americana. There’s a Free People video featuring her song “Minds A Mystery,” (which will may be on a forthcoming album… which, yes, is also a second coming album @A$APferg) so that pretty much tells you all you need to know about her psych rock desert vibe. NME called her a “stoner Lana Del Rey or a Jenny Lewis with grit.” She plays Red Bull Sound Select’s sold-out show with Chromeo on November 6, so if you’re going to that, make sure to come early and check her out! CHRISTINA
RIYL: Mystic Braves, The Growlers, Emmylou Harris, Joanna Newsom, Lana Del Rey
Recommended Tracks: “Night & Day,” “I Ran So Far,” “You Can Change”