Los Angeles is probably the most fascinating of all American cities. It is assuredly our most absurdly postmodern place where the norms of American culture have mutated into a psychotic dance of hedonism, tribal violence, and new-age sophistry. Without a center, Los Angeles oozes towards the valleys, beaches, and deserts of least resistance. The social geography resembles a petri dish left out in an oppressive sun with no top; growth overflowing the lip of the lid out into oblivion. There, time is measured in natural and social catastrophes rather than in intervals of decades and years. I am always intrigued when art with any sort of humanistic substance originates, as much as anything really can, from Los Angeles. Here are a few newish tracks that defy the pull towards nihilism and narcissism that simmers beneath the perpetual haze of LA.
Kisses “People Do the Most Amazing Things“
Kisses is composed of Jesse Kivel, of Princeton, and Zinzi Edmundson. Their first track “Bermuda” was a sun-pop topper. “People Can Do the Most Amazing Things” is along the same lines, but it is sadder and more nuanced. Taken together, these songs are a pretty good start for a band that is considered Kivel’s side project to Princeton. It would be probably a little disingenuous to lump Kisses with the chillwave/dreamwave movement, but at its core, Kisses is similarly driven by a desire to express genuine emotion when all that seems to matter is everything but. This is not to say that Kisses or anything other band has a monopoly on emotional pop music, but Kisses cuts the bullshit (irony, grand-standing, self-indulgence) and gets to the point a lot better than most indie bands.
“People Can Do the Most Amazing Things” sounds like a 80’s pop song, but only a more distilled and less corporate-version of it. The production is subtle and layered to great effect. The vocals are deadpan in just the right way. Perhaps what Kisses has demonstrated with “Bermuda” and “People” is that making great pop music is not so much about having the right equipment or saying the right thing, but rather, interesting and rich music can only be made when an artist is truly creating something of their own. It is true that “People” pilfers from almost every 80’s pop sound out there, but at its core, the song is rooted in the imagination of its creator, who breathes life into what some may consider a stale sound. The overall aesthetic is so crystal clear that every listen is an enriching and rewarding experience.
Mystery Claws “Phony Checks”
Jesse Kivel’s brother and fellow Princeton bandmate, Matt Kivel, makes up half of Mystery Claws along with his counterpart Julia Bembenek. This song is really short, but I feel like it fits into a developing artistic sensibility within the Los Angeles scene. Like Kisses, Mystery Claws is resolutely a pop band, but they tend to have a more straight forward approach. There are no grand statements being made nor is there an intense sense of earnestness that plagues most indie rock. They aren’t totally goofing-off either. The production is very tight and the sound is warm. The lyrics are neither throw-away nor poetical genius. They fit with the song, and that’s about it. What makes “Phony Checks” worth discussing is that the band knows what it wants and knows how to get there without taking a detour off into lo-fi confusion or depressed intellectualism. The emotion is direct, clear, and confident, which is exactly what a pop songs needs.
Active Child “When Your Love is Safe”
Active Child (Pat Grossi) mixes electronic synth-pop with choral singing. It works very well. Like most people in Los Angeles, he is not from there specifically, but he appears to be from a lot of different places. Like Mystery Claws and Kisses, he traffics in unabashed pop music. In his case, the style is much more synth and sample based. The overall feel of “When Your Love is Safe” is melancholic joy, which is aligned with the burgeoning artistic movement away from ironic cleverness.
At its core, “When Your Love is Safe” is a confessional love song. It’s presented in a serious fashion, not in a cutesy, wink-wink way. The lyrics, despite being simple, are surprisingly rich: “I woke up early in the morning and you weren’t there / I woke up early in the morning and I could have been anywhere / But I know exactly where I am / Somewhere between making love and being friends.” I have never heard this sentiment expressed in a song before, and I have an unhealthy obsession with love songs so I have heard thousands. The lyrics alone are worth the listen, but the sound production is so ornate and dazzling that multiple listens are suggested.
These three songs are examples of how some indie pop artists are moving towards a much cleaner style of production and a deeper sense of sincerity. This movement could be contrasted with the fuzz pop scene that is also booming in California.