Greer Have Created an Indie Rock Masterpiece With Latest Album “Big Smile”

We recently had the magnificent opportunity to check out the new album, “Big Smile” from SoCal indie rock band, Greer. You can listen to “Big Smile” Here

Judging from the first two singles, “Had Enough” and “Franken” we had a feeling that “Big Smile” from Greer, was going to be something special…. We were right!

In a way, we always say this record has been six years in the making,” they reflect. After a few years of being a band, signing to Epitaph and releasing two buzzy EPs (Lullaby For YouandHappy People), the young SoCal foursome behind Greer was feeling burnt and disconnected from the songs they’d written and toured. While 2021 came and went, a pandemic-induced fatigue led to their decision to go on an indefinite hiatus while finding individual clarity. Greer had to grow up again.

Returning to drummer Lucas’s Orange County garage where it all started, the band began to unearth old drafts and alchemize their matured, fully realized sound, eventually entering the studio withRob Schnapf(Elliott Smith, The Vines, Beck) with over two hundred songs written. The thirteen tracks that make up the album are the band’s emotional champions that track the tumultuous period between the start of their break and the peace they found on their way back. “‘Omnibus,’ the album’s opener, presents confusion in a vacuum of noise,” the band explains, the overbearing weight of loss and struggling to find purpose, which slowly tames and realizes itself progressing through the track list; while ‘audio_77’ is the gossamer, an acoustic closer that reveals a placid beauty and quiet realization, concluding a long and chaotic haze with tender rest.” Laced between are vignettes of raw intensity, releasing the somber energy retained from Greer’s individual experiences while unveiling a complex new texture to their sound and reclaiming their narrative in the process. 

Every song on “Big Smile” is a well thought out , well crafted gem . We were hanging on every word and melody. It was like we were reading a best selling novel.

“Big Smile” , from Greer , is a record that has a big beautiful sound that we can’t help but gravitate to . If David Bowie, made an indie rock record in 2025, we think it would sound a lot like this .

Leading into the record’s release, the members of GreerJosiah (vocals, guitar), Corbin (guitar, vocals), Seth (bass guitar), and Lucas (drums) – participated in a 36-hour livestream as part of their Greer On Display x Heaven by Marc Jacob’s exhibition. Enclosed together in a 7’x7’ space and displayed in the gallery’s window on Fairfax in Los Angeles for that time while committing to limited technology usage and radical transparency, fans had the chance to follow every moment of Greer’s experiment, capped by a raucous DIY performance in the space. 

The band also recently announced their month-long North American headlining tour kicking off in Phoenix, AZ on May 30 and wrapping up in Santa Ana, CA on June 30Despite the amount of time that has transpired since our last release, we as a band feel solid as a rock,” says Greer. “We’re nervous for our old fans to hear how our sound has changed, but that nervousness quickly overlaps with the excitement we feel in listening to the songs. We are so excited to get back on stage and sing our hearts out.” All dates are listed below, and tickets can be purchased here

“Big Smile”, from Greer is one of those special records we will be talking about for years to come.

TOUR DATES 

May 30 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
May 31 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
June 2 – Austin, TX @ Antone’s
June 3 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
June 5 – Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
June 6 – Charlotte, NC @ Visulite Theatre
June 7 – Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall
June 9 – Washington, DC @ The Atlantis
June 10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
June 12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
June 13 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
June 14 – Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa
June 15 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
June 17 – Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch
June 18 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
June 19 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
June 21 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
June 22 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell
June 24 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
June 25 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
June 27 – Sacramento, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post
June 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom [SOLD OUT]
June 29 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
June 30 – Santa Ana, CA @ Observatory

MEGG Delivers Epic New Single , “The End”

We recently had the stellar opportunity to check the new single , “The End” , from  LA’s South Bay born & raised alternative artist, MEGG. You can listen to “The End” Here

MEGG, blends her love for pop music with her punk rock roots to create a fearless sound for the tomboys, loudmouths, romantics, and all the misfits in-between. 

MEGG recently made the move to Nashville, TN, bringing her SoCal punk rock vibes to Music City with sand in her Vans and a bottle in hand. She dropped seven singles in 2024, with her latest banger, “The End,” out today  (February 28) . And that’s just the beginning—she’s gearing up for her fourth EP this fall. Oh, and did we mention? SHE’S PLAYING VANS WARPED TOUR in Long Beach, CA this summer on July 26 & 27!


Photo Credit: Madison Hedgecock

Regarding the new single, MEGG says, We wrote The End about some mental shit I was going through. This song is about the battle between two versions of myself in my head: the fun, happy, stops and smells the flowers kind of girl and this other crazy bitch who tries to tear everything apart. I wanted the music to feel unhinged yet familiar, something we can all scream and dance along to, as I imagine we’ve all felt this way in some capacity. I’m stoked on this one.”

We absolutely love the style , sound and vibe that , MEGG, brings to “The End” , MEGG, is a refreshing change in a sometimes mundane musical landscape.

benches Deliver Epic New Single “Naive”

We recently had the amazing opportunity to check out the new single “Naive” from Southern California group benches.

You can listen to “Naive” Here

benches consist of Anson Kelley (vocals/guitar), Ethan Bowers (drums), Evan Ojeda (lead guitar), and Charlie Baird (bass). 

benches has a sound reminiscent of both the ceremonious majesty of 90’s Britpop and the insouciance of 2000’s NY rock, the band’s heart is rooted in defining the sound of bittersweet: A blend of joy and sadness, wrapped up into infectious indie rock. 

Unabashedly celebrating the naivete of youth, and the excitement and worries that come with getting older, Anson Kelley frequently draws inspiration from the travails of navigating a society where norms are exploded daily and the chaotic backdrop is full of hurdles to your sanity – from evolving technology to fragmenting social relationships. 

As soon as the drums hit on “Naive” you can tell that benches project a high and intense level of energy that is absolutely electrifying

Following the success of earlier singles such as Angry Lizard Noise and Monodrama benches worked with Grammy-nominated producer Martin Cooke on increasingly complex and nuanced songs, resulting in the release of 3 tracks in 2022, including the standout Violent

They’re currently finishing an EP to be released spring 2024 to coincide with upcoming tour and festival dates and the first single is out this month. The band have played with notable acts such as Foster The People, Inhaler, Blossoms, Dave Keuning (The Killers) and Louis XIV, and previously toured the US with Ultra Q, I Don’t Know How But They Found Me, The Red Pears and Late Night Drive Home.

Find a good spot and get lost in the magic of benches and their spectacular new single “Naive”

Odd Robot Makes A Huge Splash With New Single And Video For “Lost Inside Yr Ocean”

We recently checked out Southern California punk/power punk band Odd Robot and their new single and video for “Lost Inside Yr Ocean “

“Lost Inside Yr Ocean” is from the band’s new record “Deathmates” which, will be out this fall via Wiretap Records.

“Lost Inside Yr Ocean “ is an absolute blast , the song and video have major summer vibes that we totally dig. We are all about the 60’s feel which , comes courtesy of the sweet spatial reverberations of Telecasters and the band’s newest member and multi-instrumentalist, Nate Phung, on the organ. ( The organ on this song , is like a super power , we love it )

Photo credit @ the corona chronicles

Andy Burris of Odd Robot says, The sea is a durable metaphor—she is the bringer of life, the taker of life. Lost Inside Yr Ocean delves into that realm. The subject of the song is isolated and adrift. Despite no way out, they manage to cling to a bit of hope.

The music video was filmed in Newport Bay, CA, and features professional divers (thanks to Apex Diving Services) and an extra special guest.

If music is your jam , you need to check out Odd Robot and their super rad new tune “Lost Inside Yr Ocean”