Hey! Did you know that there’s an entire aspect of KCRW music discovery that you might be missing out on? Fear not, because our 5 Songs to Hear This Week newsletter is now a weekly feature on our website. Watch this space for rundowns of the five songs that you need in your life immediately, curated by KCRW Music staff. Don’t want to wait for your latest taste of fresh tunes? Sign up for the Friday newsletter here, and always be the first to know.
We listened to and (lovingly) argued over the hundreds of submissions to KCRW’s Young Creators Project (2023) to emerge with these five featured artists. From knockout alt-rock to Prince homages to lyrical wisdom, KCRW Music is proud to assure you: The kids are more than alright.
Forsythia – “Pretty Lungs”
Eagle Rock trio Forsythia — Namika Conness, 17 (lead vocals, guitar), Riley Arce-Riolo, 17 (backing vocals, bass), and Eli Wiliams, 16 (drums) — rock, hard. Chunky guitar riffs channel eviscerating tones, the vocals encompass satisfying harmonics which tiptoe right up to the edge of off-kilter, the drums hit, and their mastery of tension/release could rival that of Pixies.
Lyrically, “Pretty Lungs” serves as a cathartic (albeit dark) anthem for the generation that grew up with active shooter drills as a part of daily life.
The Treedome – “Beauty of It”
LA indie-jazz quartet The Treedome are composed of Gabriela Hernandez, 20 (lead vocals), Cristopher Perez, 21 (bass, trumpet), and cousins Melvin Zulca, 20 (guitar) and Brian Sulca, 16 (drums).
“Beauty of It” tells the universally relatable tale of first love, soundtracked in a way that could easily place it as a lost Cherry Red Records 7” single from 1989, or something from the woefully short lived Oxnard, California-based YAY! Records in the late ‘00s. The fact that they exist in the here and now, poised for breakout success, is an absolute thrill.
Brayden Nguyen – “Take Me Away”
Huntington Beach native Brayden Nguyen just turned 17, and he’s still adjusting to stating it as his age. Something that Nguyen needs no adjustment with, however, is his approach to songcraft.
Drawing inspiration from a ceramics artist he met in early childhood, Nguyen channeled his creative energy toward learning as many instruments as he could get his hands on — piano, guitar, bass, and drums. All the while developing his singing voice. Find his skills on full display in his ferociously funky single “Take Me Away.”
CERES – “Star”
Over a plucky melody and simple backing beat on “Star,” 17-year-old San Gabriel Valley-based singer and ukulele player Ceres unleashes a torrent of sharply constructed words into the face of an uncertain future — drawing upon celestial metaphors to unpack all of her conflicting ambitions and anxieties.
Raine – “Never Tell”
Over a spare electronic backing track on her song “Never Tell,” 19-year-old San Fernando Valley native singer-songwriter Raine projects life’s sweet mundanities into the cosmos — crushes, fashion choices, navigating life in Los Angeles (literally and figuratively) — still wishing for answers from a lost loved one that she knows are impossible to receive.