Pinwheel Review

Dec 6, 2025 | ktru

Written by Gustavo Roskowsky

Pinwheel took over The 13th Floor in Austin on November 29th with a set that felt equal parts rock show and beautifully unhinged experiment. Their current lineup features Jim on electric guitar, Mark on electric guitar, Cam on bass, and Terrin on drums, with Jimmy Swagg stepping in as vocalist for the night. Their recorded tracks “Lapse” and “Glass Ceiling” still feature former lead singer Riki Shae (Chryst Moon), but this live setup carried its own raw personality.

From the moment they stepped on stage, the band leaned fully into their aesthetic: mascara, a striped mime with full white face paint, a bassist who looked like he walked straight out of the intro scene of “The Dark Knight,” and a drummer thrashing from behind a skull mask. Jim and Mark framed the stage with riffs and energy, while Cam and Terrin drove the heartbeat from the shadows.

They kicked off the night with “Broke,” a gritty opener that set the pulse in the room. “Komodo” came next and immediately amped up the crowd before they slid into “Glass Ceiling.” Even without Riki on vocals, Jimmy Swagg filled the space with commitment that genuinely deserved applause. “Minerva’s Den” was another standout, but “Lapse” and “Glass Ceiling” hit the hardest and felt the most familiar to most listeners. The instrumental format gave them room to experiment and reshape the songs in real time. They closed with “As Above” and left the room buzzing.

Pinwheel ran through instrumental versions of their songs while mixing in Jimmy Swagg for a few. He performed. He wandered off the floor, frolicked across the stage, exchanged moments with the crowd, and sparked playful interactions with the band. The whole set felt alive. At one point, the guitarists even touched guitars mid-song just to see what would happen. Whatever it was, it worked.

The night opened with Burning Low, who set the tone beautifully. Every musician in the group was fully engaged. You could feel that collective zone the moment they started playing. Even Pinwheel’s members were spotted near the front vibing to their set before their own show began.

The night felt like a small corner of Austin exploding with creativity. Pinwheel delivered a wild, funky, and memorable performance. Even after the show, the crew stuck around, helped each other out, and enjoyed their time watching other groups together. It felt like watching a group of friends who trusted each other enough to try anything and have a blast doing it. If this is the direction they are heading, they are a band worth following closely.

Zack Fox Review

Dec 6, 2025 | ktru

Written by Israel Lerma

Atlanta-based quadruple threat Zack Fox performed at Houston's White Oak Music Hall on November 22nd. A stand-up comedian, rapper, actor, and now DJ, Fox has done it all. Fox and his DJ openers, IDKRYAN and Hyperrace, spun and provided the vibes. The doors opened at 8 pm, with the first opener, IDKRYAN, coming out, and exactly an hour later. Playing his one-hour set, IDKRYAN is a DJ and producer from Houston, providing a techno-hip hop classic vibe for the night. His whole set was a constant vibe, with smooth transitions being subtle and foreshadowing. I loved how he used isolated vocals from “Whoomp! (There It Is)”. He used a lot of isolation with specific instruments, but primarily the vocals. He engaged the crowd with this technique, having them reciprocate the same energy, something every DJ should aim for. This has been my first time seeing a DJ set live, so to see IDKRYAN on stage manipulating well known songs was an amazing experience. I felt every snare hit and bass sample, and coupled with the countless smooth transitions, made it quite a surreal experience. It was as if every two minutes, a different song would play, and every eight measures, something would be constantly added or taken away. My biggest highlight of IDKRYAN’s set was when he did a mashup of "Sticky” and “Tamale” by Tyler, The Creator.  Hearing both songs mixed in a club/house mix with an almost doubled BMP was insane!

An hour later, a DJ duo from Houston, Hyperace, came on stage. There was a seamless transition between IDKRYAN and Hyperrace, which was so smooth that I didn't even expect it. Throughout their entire set, they played various genres, including club/house, pop, hip-hop, and R&B. Moments that stuck with me were at the beginning, when they chopped up vocals over a synth-heavy beat that continued to repeat. It was such a dope use of vocals, especially when it's in a constant spliced-up one-second loop; the cherry on top was the bassy transition that made it perfect. Throughout the set, I would turn around and see people dancing and vibing in a way I did not expect. Hyperace closed off their set, transitioning into Zack Fox. I heard the loud cheers from the crowd and the mixed vocals from the set created this moment of harmonic peace as Zack entered the building.

Zack Fox came on exactly at 10 pm and played for two hours and thirty minutes. For the first ten minutes, I was at the photo pit taking as many photos as I could and enjoying the moment.  This was the first time I had ever been in front of the barricade, which was a surreal feeling as Zack himself was just a few feet away from me!

How Fox blended genres was amazing, from pop to rap to Mexican music; I appreciate the diversity in the genres of music. During his set, Fox performed a monologue about the creative minds behind mainstream music and how it was developed by minorities. Throughout his set, he paid homage to Detroit, Atlanta, and Chicago, crucial cities that developed the styles of music he borrowed from. While performing, Fox had such an entertaining presence when he was spinning; the way he moves and grooves is so clean, and it provides an underlying tone of how the crowd should respond. Seriously, look up a Zack show on YouTube, and the way he portrays and dances himself makes the vibe (I recommend you to watch his Camp Flog Gnaw Set 2025, just released). Also, credit to his entourage, who also helped to enhance the vibe; they were killing it! Fox’s DJ set had a great selection of songs from “Millionaire” by Kelis (feat. Andre 3000) to a modified version of “Family Ties” by Baby Keem. The isolated vocals of “Family Ties” played over a club beat. Hearing Baby Keem's part at almost 2 times its tempo was a neat touch. Overall, Zack Fox is a creative genius with so much talent. His sets were inspiring because of his ability to get the crowd moving. For four hours (of pure spinning!), I was always dancing and vibing. Lastly, thank you to the White Oak Hall Staff for being the nicest and giving me the opportunity to be in the photo pit! Most importantly, shout out to Zack Fox for being my first proper DJ set. Fox did not disappoint, and he needs to be seen live if he tours in your city.

Temachii Interview

Nov 17, 2025 | ktru

Written by Steven Burgess
CREDIT: Photographs taken and provided by MIGUMONI. Artwork and visual art provided by Mia Rasmussen.

Mia Rasmussen, better known as Temachii, is a multi-instrumentalist and self-producing artist based out of San Antonio, Texas. She has released two albums, “flora maniia” and “akrasiia,” and recently opened for Wisp on her tour, “If Not Winter,” alongside Dream, Ivory.

SB: How does it feel to wrap up the tour with Wisp last month?

MR:  It was my first big tour. I hadn't played any shows outside of Texas, so [it was] super exciting, and I had a lot of fun. Both Dream, Ivory and Wisp were super nice and amazing. I was very blessed to have done a first tour with them. 

SB: Are there any specific venues [in Texas] where you have performed that really stood out to you, or that are really near and dear to your heart?

MR: I really liked playing the House of Blues in Houston, and I loved Tulips in Dallas-Fort Worth. That was a really nice venue, and super kind people [attended], but all the venues in Texas were pretty good. I don't think I have an issue with any of them.

SB: This year was your first time you had headlined shows, one in San Antonio and then another one in LA. Can you tell me about the experience of going from an opener to being the headliner of your own show?

MR: Yeah, it's totally different. Night and day. Being an opener [versus] a headliner. I loved being with Wisp, and they were amazing, but it was so shocking to me when, even just those two shows, that [headlined]. It's so jarring to see everyone [is there] just for you. That was something I wasn't used to, but it was very flattering.

SB: How was it like to have a crowd know your songs and sing along to things that you wrote in your room?

MR: I never thought that would happen. When I first started making music, it was just for fun. I wasn't planning on making it into a career. I was still in college when I started making music, and it was just something I wanted to do, like how I love to draw. I was friends with a lot of musicians, and I was in Band growing up, and [my friends] heard I could sing, and they were like, “oh, you should just try and make your own music. I think you'd be good. Your voice is super nice…” I treated it how [I did] my art, just something [for] self-expression [and] enjoyment. To see how far it's reached people, it's something I never imagined would happen.

SB: How do you feel collaboration has helped you throughout your [musical journey], especially with collaborators like Gabe Jimenez?

MR: I think collaboration is super important, especially in music, but in most art-related things, it's good to have different perspectives and different views impacting your art. Even though I write a majority of my music, I'm not amazing at everything… that's where Gabe would come in. He's a good friend of mine… [he’s a] super amazing guitarist and bassist… I would reach out to Gabe, and he would come and record for me, or even sometimes help me write stuff.

SB: - You started work on your first album, “flora maniia,” in 2020. How did the pandemic affect your workflow and lead to the release of your album 3 years later?

MR: [The pandemic] definitely gave me more time to do it because we were all at home, and I was working at a grocery store when I was making that album, and that's where I met everyone. That's where I met Gabe. That's where I met my engineer, Pedro. He [helped when we] recorded, mixed, and mastered all of my songs that are on Spotify right now. During the pandemic, being a grocery store worker was an essential worker, so we were just around each other all the time, and we were all musicians, and that's how we connected. 

SB: Were there any challenges or roadblocks you had to overcome throughout the process of “flora maniia?”

RM: Since everything was recorded in a home studio [during] Covid, we didn't really have access to… drums. I think live drums sound so good… I didn't have a lot of money, so just [trying to find a] really good drum machine [and] trying to make sounds that were not real [like] drums or piano… sound really good, even if it's just a digital machine on a program.

SB: How much of the production is live compared to synthetic?

MR:  Usually, all guitars are live. Bass is live. MIDI is recorded on a MIDI synth. For “akrasiia,” I just wanted something super stripped back and acoustic. It was just what I was feeling to make now… When we start touching it up and adding drums or other textural sounds, [that] is when we start adding synthetic sounds.

SB: One of your standout tracks [off “flora mania”] is “Born Into.” I really love [that you] use your voice as an instrument… How many tracks of vocals does it take to get that intended effect?

MR: “Born Into” didn't really have too many [vocal tracks]. How I started that song is I first laid down the chords with MIDI. I would [create] chords on the piano, but I knew I wanted the song to just be my vocals… I wanted to make sure I got the melodies I wanted out first, and then I [recorded] each note of the chord I laid out and sung that note. I think maybe five or six layers of my vocals to achieve that.

SB: Who are some of the artists that come to mind that you play on rotation when you're in this [musical] workflow?

MR: Bjork and Ichicko [Aoba,] I love them, and I listen to them constantly. I love all kinds of genres… Even if you just look at my first song, “Echoing,” it's kind of more electronic, but… I love heavier stuff, I love electronic, I love jazz, I love bossa nova, I love rock… I listen to everything. 

At the time of making “flora maniia” and “akrasiia,” I was listening to a lot of Radiohead, a lot of Fiona Apple, and Mitski at the time. I didn't really know what Shoegaze or Dream Pop was, which is what a lot of people like to describe my music as… so then I started listening to Cocteau Twins, Autumn’s Grey Solace, Alison’s Halo, or Slowdive… I think that's interesting to me that I didn't even know of those genres, but I was kind of making songs within [them].

SB: - After “flora maniia,” you released your follow-up project “akrasiia.” Between projects, you shifted from a dream pop/shoegaze sound to a more ethereal/ambient direction? What informed this change in sound and the addition of purely instrumental tracks?

MR: After I released “flora maniia,” I just really wanted to make some songs that were very minimal, just acoustic guitar. Not that they're simple, but just not a lot of production. It's really just guitar, bass, or even for the instrumental tracks, just to try and convey a feeling.

SB: What would you say was the song that really stood out to you as being hard to produce? Especially [given] how complex some of the instrumentation is on “akrasiia.”

MR: Anything with my piano, so “nepenthe” or “do you remember,” even “stupid piano” off “flora maniia” … those were harder specifically because my piano's out of tune… I think it's [tuned to] around 432 Hz… For “stupid piano,” we had to digitally tune my voice to make sure it was [in tune] with the piano as well as all the other instruments. Then, [we did the] same thing with the songs on “akrasiia,” making sure everything fits the tune that my piano is [currently in].

SB: Is there a story behind how you got [your detuned] piano and how it came into your possession?

MR: When I was growing up, the first instrument I learned was piano… I was just [learning] on this really small digital piano I had, so then my parents [brought me] to a thrift store in middle school, and there was a piano there, and that's the one I bought, and we just never ended up tuning it… you need to do multiple tuning sessions to get it to standard tuning, so it's only [been] tuned once and then never again, which is probably why it's out of tune [still].

SB: - Not only are you a musician, but you also produce a lot of visual art. What was it like being a freelance artist before making the transition into music?

MR: I've been making art ever since I was really little. I just knew I wanted my art and music to be connected. I just felt that was natural, like they would go hand in hand. I started to make visuals for my music as well as try to build a little world. I was really inspired by Gorillaz or Studio Killers, where they have little characters… [I thought,] “I guess I could do that,” and I didn't delve too deep into it. I just made a caricature of myself, rather than like a whole new character that looks completely different for me.

SB: Can you kind of walk me through the rollout for Not/Lost… [with this] surreal and kind of cool and trippy imagery?

MR: I've obviously been working on new music, trying to get it the best that it can be. When I wanted to release “Not/Lost,” I wanted to tease a new era. I still plan on doing a lot of nature [themes] because I love nature, but shift it from forestry imagery [towards] a little more water… I made a little comic of the Temachii character in the forest, but finding a pond.

SB: What is your favorite medium: drawing, painting, animation, or digital art?

MR: Either painting or sculpting. I got into sculpting from when I was still in college. I took a 3D art course, so we did a lot of sculpting with many different materials, and I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did, but I really did, which is why I made that Little Lamb sculpture, and I want to make more… I tend to do mostly digital because it's very convenient, easy to do, cheap… so I tend to do that more, but whenever I have time, I love to do either painting or sculpting.

SB: What was it like balancing school and making music/art?

MR: It started to get more difficult as I gained more popularity, just because… more opportunities came my way, which I was super thankful for, but then that meant playing more shows and rehearsals, traveling more… I was also still working at the grocery store, so I was getting worn thin. I do find I have less time to draw nowadays, but I still always try and make time, and it's still something I'm super thankful for the opportunities I have that I would never thought I would get.

SB: I'm assuming you probably receive a lot of fan art. Is there any specific fan art that comes to mind that was really meaningful or special for you?

MR: Yeah, I love getting tagged in stuff… my favorite is when someone gives me something physical. I've had many pieces of art, whether it's a drawing or even jewelry given to me… at shows, that's my favorite. I obviously hold on to them, and I find physical things very… amazing, very beautiful.

SB: I believe you had said that you [refer to your] fanbase as Teminions. What is the inspiration behind this?

MR:  It was just one of my good friends. We always make little jokes when we're hanging out, and he invented the phrase Teminions. And he's like, “you should call your fans the Teminions.” At first I hated it, I was like, “no, that sounds so silly.” Then… the silliness grew on me, so then I was like, “Okay, I'll embrace it.” They're the Teminions.

SB: Recently, HunkofPlastic Records just pressed your album, “flora maniia,” on vinyl. How does it feel to be able to hold your work in your hands?

MR: Yes, they did. That is the first time any of my songs are on vinyl, which is so exciting… It feels surreal… Everything that I've done [between] touring, performing at venues, meeting fans, having a vinyl is something I never predicted would have happened… I didn't get to see too much of the process. They're still being shipped to me… [HunkofPlastic Records is a] small label, so it takes them a while, but I'm super thankful they did that for me.

SB: You have produced all the album cover art for your music. Do you have a favorite cover you've made?

MR: “Flora maniia” for sure. That one took me the longest. It took me a few months to make it, which is the longest I've taken on any piece of drawing, especially digital. I'm doing the same, obviously for future releases… If it's an album, [I like] to put a lot of detail into the artwork. 

SB: - Does the surreal imagery of your visual artwork ever transform itself into a song?

MR: For me, usually the song comes first, and then when I listen to the song… I create the visuals. I've yet to make a drawing and then make a song, but that's probably something I'll explore eventually. 

SB: One of your songs, “a lamb’s lullaby,” was turned into a variety of different art pieces. Can you talk about that process more?

MR: After I released “flora maniia,” I really wanted to make a bunch of physical pieces… so that I could do a gallery based off of each song… I kept doing “a lamb’s lullaby” because that one is one of my favorite songs from that project.

I would make a piece and then people would reach out to me, wanting to buy it, so then I would sell it, and then I'm like, “I don't have a piece for this gallery I want to do anymore…” I do hope eventually, even if it's ten years from now, I want to have a little gallery showing [work] based off my songs.

It would be in Texas, but if I ever got the ability [to put it on, it would] be in multiple places… I just imagine a little space and just all of my artwork would be there… to fit the “flora maniia” themes… I could see myself doing a little live performance along with it, but I for sure see it like how a normal gallery would be for [other] artists. You see other pieces on the wall, you walk through it, and experience it.

SB: You also design your own merch. Are there any specific merch pieces you've made that you’re really proud of?

MR: I really love the rib cage design… there's nothing specific about it, I just really like the design idea for it. 

I love designing merch… I tend to change the designs a lot just because it's so [much] fun for me…  In the beginning, I [screen printed every shirt], but now it's gotten to a point where it's just too much [demand], so I do need to outsource. 

SB: - Throughout your performances, you have an array of unique-looking instruments such as a heart-shaped guitar or a butterfly bass. Is there a story behind any of these designs?

MR: I didn't know how to play a guitar when I was first making music, but when I first started [working on] “flora maniia…” I picked up guitar and… started teaching myself guitar. When choosing a guitar, my only logic was I want it to look really cool because the cooler the guitar looks, the more likely I'm going to want to pick it up and play around with it… The first one I ever got was the little heart guitar, and then I got the butterfly bass because I needed a bass to [play] on my songs as well.

As I’ve gotten better at guitar [started] caring more about its tone… I still care about the way it looks. I have a floral design one, a watery [looking] one, but different models, I have a Jazzmaster now [and a] Strat. 

SB: What would you say is the most atypical instrument you play?

MR: I don't play it often anymore, but I do have a song on “akrasiia” that has banjos. It's not the weirdest instrument, but I don't really pick it up too often. I just wanted a song with the banjo, so I have a banjo. I play it every now and then.

SB: You have amassed a large social media presence since your first album. How has a platform like TikTok affected your music career?

MR: It's 100% what gave me what I have now. I feel every artist feels this, where no artist really likes to post and promote their stuff… but without TikTok, I wouldn't have gotten the attention I have now, it's the reason why my songs blew up, and so I'm very grateful for that. I haven't experienced that on other social media platforms, YouTube or Instagram. I do have followings there, but to me, it's mostly because my songs blew up on TikTok, so then it trickled down to the other social media platforms.

Because of my songs blowing up on TikTok, I've met so many talented musicians: Wisp, Dream, Ivory, [and] Kitty Craft. Those are all people I listened to before I even [started] making music. So it was just crazy now we're in the same room… [and] friends.

SB: Can we expect a new project from you soon?

MR: Yes, I've been working on [a new project] since “flora maniia” released… I'm just struggling with the pressure… When I made “akrasiia,” I didn't have [this attention], so I was able to release it pretty quickly, but now I feel I have to make [this project] the best that it can be… It should be done soon. I am working very hard on it for everyone.

SB: Are you going to [perform] any shows in the future in Houston, Texas?

MR: I will for sure… nothing for the rest of this year, but next year for sure. I'm going to keep performing and playing shows all over [Texas]. I love playing Houston, so I will definitely be back.

Quadeca Review

Nov 2, 2025 | ktru

Written by Israel Lerma

American singer, songwriter, and self-producer Quadeca is currently on tour for his newest project, Vanisher, Horizon Scraper. Quadeca underwent a fascinating evolution as an artist, initially posting videos on YouTube that showcased different rapping techniques and FIFA content. At some point, he deviated from his YouTube career to fully pursue a music career. With this third-ever tour, and second time in Houston, Quadeca came to town and delivered.

On October 27th, 2025, American singer, songwriter, and self-producer Quadeca came into town, playing downstairs at the White Oak Music Hall. The door opens at 7 pm with the opener, kmoe, coming out exactly an hour later. Coming out of Vancouver, British Columbia, kmoe has a unique underground sound that combines hyperpop and indietronica, getting people moving. His first time in Texas, kmoe is an up-and-coming artist who just released his critically acclaimed debut album, K1. He opened with "Aired out", a hyperpop track that sets the tone for the rest of the set. For one of his last songs, his unreleased track "Heat Death" was played for us, surprisingly. An emotional song, about regret and bringing someone back to your life, I found this to be my favorite song of the set. The constant "back", accompanied by soothing synths, and the bright purple lights' constant flashes emphasized the emotional side of K1. I'm very excited to see what he will do on his upcoming project, as I assume 'heat death' could be a potential single. The next song, "Carpet," was a defining moment where he encouraged the crowd to clap along to the song. It was a moment that started slowly but grew to a fast, intense tempo. Kmoe's constant movements, hair swaying, and excitement pushed the crowd to start moshing throughout the night. For his last song, he played a track on which he is featured on Jane Remover's debut mixtape, called Homeswitcher. Jane Remover, known for her hyperpop, is a significant influence on the current underground music scene. I see her as a notable influence, as saving to conclude the set is a nice homage. As the lights dimmed for the first time, this song was the wildest, most extreme of the night. Jane's production on this song is incredible, and kmoe's uniquely smooth vocals, combined with the microphone filters, make it stand out. Screaming out the lyrics "I just fall silent when it starts to hurt" and "31st we talk on the 16th" were emotional culminations for kmoe, as the pain heard through his voice resonated with the crowd.

Once kmoe concluded his set, Quadeca's crew set up his famous lamp, a wireless lamp created by a couple, Daniel and Ashley, who were at the Houston show and were shouted out by Quadeca. Quadeca set focused on his newest album, Vanisher, Horizon Scraper, but played all his classics from his previous projects, Scrapyard and I Didn't Mean To Haunt You. His diverse catalog took us everywhere from instrumental self-produced songs focused on synths and flutes to slower songs with a choir background. As soon as the clock turned nine, the band came out and the first vocal humming on "NO QUESTIONS ASKED" had the crowd and me hypnotized. The addictive humming, accompanied by Autumn's high notes and pristine flute playing, helped the song flow. (Interestingly enough, Quadeca shouts out Autumn later, recalling a story of how they met at the White Oak years ago, when she was still working here, and her recruitment to the band was all fate.) The lights throughout the song emphasized the instrumentals coming in and out. This trippy song featured a live piano, guitar, and drums, with unpredictable moments that heightened the song.

Quadeca then reveals himself to the audience with his clear, beautiful vocals, wearing the Vanisher, Horizon Scraper outfit he wore in his hour-long movie made for the album. This dark blue, branded with the album's logo, suggests that he is a captain in his life, uncertain about his future.

As soon as the reverse drums start to hit, and the siren synth hits, "AT A TIME LIKE THIS" captures the crowd's attention, a slow song that plays into a climactic buildup of the hitting sirens, Quadecas's first rap of the night. Pulling out his guitar, Quadeca plays RUIN MY LIFE with some sweet vocals, which had the crowd rocking back and forth. Everyone sang along, as his stage presence felt so welcoming, and the lights flashed orange, as if we were around a campfire, singing along. After such a calming, warm-hearted moment, he threw it back to his previous album, Scrapyard playing "GUESS WHO?", an incredible experimental rap song that had the crowd turnt and jumping! With his eyes closed, Quadeca slips into his excited flow state, hesitating not at all.

The most powerful moment of the show was when he played "Abandon Me" from Corpus Christi legend Kevin Abstract's album Blush. As the producer and solo vocalist, Quadeca leaves a mark on this song. As the synths and static hit, his live singing hits all the notes and brings out all the emotions held within. The theme of the song is about a lover not abandoning them after all their mistakes. Seeing Quadeca stationary, jittery at the end, followed by the live guitar solo, reveals an inner side of a performer he is not afraid to show. We hear the vulnerable emotions throughout the song as he sings, expressing his gratitude that this person remained with him. As my favorite song, this one hit me personally, as it is one that everyone can relate to. The feeling of someone staying with you is something we all tend to question, and I am pleased Quadeca played this song to express that gratitude.

A couple of songs after, he played a fan favorite THUNDRRR, screaming out the lyrics. Hyping the crowd up, followed by the tickling clock as a drum, led to the biggest mosh of the night. The "Bring it out of Me" line had the crowd pumped, as I could feel all the energy being released in the room. Forgone by Quadeca was the concluding moment that all fans loved. He played this song solo on the piano and sang the whole 7-minute song all to himself. It was a neat touch with the spotlight hovering over him, and the background lights representing a bloody moon. Another vulnerable moment we see is as he sings his heart out; all the fans remain silent and enraptured as he plays the last of the night.

Quadeca is such a fascinating artist, and it's fantastic to see how the set evolved. Bringing in a live band enhanced all performances and kept the crowd excited. From the orchestral rap of MONDAY and DANCING WITHOUT ME, to the indie pop singing of Abandon Me, to the experimental high-pitched U DONT KNOW ME LIKE THAT and Sisyphus, every song played had its own identity. Quadeca's vision of transitioning from a content creator to a respected artist in today's generation is coming true. A self-producer, masterer, and filmmaker, he is a one-person visionary who created this fantastic project for the world to share. His one-hour film visually showcases his vision, something that we, as fans, should all take the time to check out and admire. His stage presence is natural, as he knows how to move, what to say, and how to get the crowd to interact and mosh at those exciting moments. As my first-ever concert review, I will never forget the night Quadeca and his band provided. The amazing live sounds, set design, and placements, along with the fans (shoutout Cody), who are so welcoming, left a vivid memory that I will continue to admire.

ACL 2025 Weekend 2 Review

Oct 24, 2025 | ktru

Written by Marty Brandwein

This past weekend, it was that time of year when Zilker Park’s grass turns yellow and Austin’s air pulses with the music of Austin City Limits Music Festival. This was my third time attending and second time covering ACL, and I must say, it never disappoints. After three days of great bands, exorbitantly priced street food, and dehydration, I can’t wait to go back next year.

On Friday, I was fortunate enough to see one of the most exciting up-and-coming artists: MJ Lenderman. With a sound described as indie-rock, indie-country, and even bootgaze (a blend of shoegaze and country), Lenderman, backed by his band of guitar, bass, keys, drums, and sometimes violin, delivered consistently captivating energy. Between songs from his 2024 album Manning Fireworks, including “Joker Lips,” “Wristwatch,” and “Bark at the Moon,” and older singles like “Knockin’,” Lenderman’s signature style and voice shone through. Following the stripped-down style of lead and rhythm guitar’s harmonies and Lenderman’s simple turns of phrase, there were neither stage nor on-screen visuals. In a tight 60 minutes, with very little talking between songs, MJ Lenderman delivered an unforgettable performance and one of my favorite sets of the weekend.

Immediately after Lenderman, I walked over to the American Express stage to watch Cage the Elephant perform fan favorites including “Ain't No Rest for the Wicked,” “Cigarette Daydreams,” and “Come a Little Closer.” Matt Shultz bounced around the stage for the whole hour, mirroring the audience’s electric energy as Brad Shultz and Nick Bockrath played powerful acoustic and electric guitar solos. Despite the urgent and polished sound, the stage lacked any set pieces or visuals, relying on raw passion to power the set. Finally, to close out the night, Hozier sauntered out onto the T-Mobile stage with a full band and backup singers to deliver a politically charged performance. In front of psychedelic visuals projecting Lockheed Martin’s share price, the net worth of the world’s richest individuals, the number of children displaced by war, and other such metrics, Hozier took his moment on stage to make a statement. Songs like “Nobody's Soldier,” “Eat Your Young,” and “Nina Cried Power” reflected this sentiment throughout the set, with Hozier delivering a well-rehearsed speech on hate, acceptance, and the political power of music before closing the night with, as expected, a potent rendition of “Take Me to Church.” Though Hozier’s transcendental vocals and his band’s polished sound took center stage, it was clear that this performance was meant not simply as a concert, but as a message to the world.

I started Saturday with Olivia Dean on the AmEx stage. Embodying a sort of upbeat Amy Winehouse sound, Dean’s bright vocals and her band’s jazz influence shone throughout her set. The standout song of the set was the simple and personal “Carmen,” an ode to Dean’s grandmother of the same name, describing her journey to London and influence on her family. Over at the T-Mobile stage, Car Seat Headrest came out to a vibrant crowd. Despite singing from behind an N95 mask, Will Toledo delivered clear and energetic vocals, especially on “The Catastrophe (Good Luck With That, Man).” In only six songs, Car Seat Headrest filled the hour with sprawling riffs and cathartic melodies, especially on the crowd favorite “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales.” Next up was one of my most anticipated bands, Magdalena Bay, and they did not disappoint. With the most theatrical set design of the weekend, Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin displayed their unique sound, playing mostly songs off their newest album, “Imaginal Disk,” sprinkling in a few favorites from “Mercurial World.” Throughout the performance, Tenenbaum pulled off multiple outfit changes to reflect the set’s mystical storyline, making for one of the most exciting and eccentric acts of the weekend.

The Strokes wrapped up Saturday’s performances, playing hit after hit, including “Bad Decisions,” “Reptilia,” “Under Cover of Darkness,” and, by popular request of the first weekend’s crowd, “Ode to the Mets.” Each of these tunes was played with the polished professionalism of a band touring for over two decades. Despite the size of the stage and the band, The Strokes kept their performance simple, clean, and classic, with the flashing colored lights being the only real visuals. As expected, Julian Casablancas delivered his usual style of slurred and effortless vocals, with Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr. performing nearly exact replicas of the guitar solos found on the records, leading to one of the most masterful and captivating sets of the weekend.

On the final day of this year’s festival, I watched The Dare’s Harrison Smith trot around the stage, likely sweating through his full suit and tie. His was one of the most interesting sets of the weekend, performing with the same energy a member of the crowd would have, given the chance. Unfortunately, this energy, coupled with his lack of touring experience, led to many of Smith’s vocals not being picked up by the microphone. Despite this, this one-man show was highly dynamic and animated, sounding like an LCD Soundsystem song cut for radio. The last performance I was able to catch on Sunday was Wet Leg’s on the AmEx stage. Lead singer Rhian Teasdale strolled to center stage and, though standing relatively still for the majority of the set, achieved vibrant and enthralling vocals. Behind her, Hester Chambers and Ellis Durand provided seemingly effortless lead guitar and punchy basslines for the full hour. Despite the lack of conversation between the fifteen songs they played, each member of the band clearly understood the wants and needs of their bandmates, especially on the set’s standouts “CPR” and “mangetout.” It was an electric performance and a great way to end the weekend. ACL, I love you and never change.

Photos (in order) by Marty Brandwein, Ismael Quintanilla III, Roger Ho, and Dusana Risovic.

Magdalena Bay Review

Oct 24, 2025 | ktru

Written by Steven Burgess

On October 14th, Magdalena Bay sold out Houston’s House of Blues as they embarked on their Imaginal Disk tour. Lead vocalist Mica Tenenbaum and guitarist Matthew Lewin played their most recent record, Imaginal Disk, in its entirety while including throwbacks and an unreleased song in the mix.

An hour before the show started, Mica and Matt held a preview set consisting of stripped-back vocals and instrumentation. The duo ended up playing 2 songs: “Star Eyes” and “Hysterical Eyes.” Mica’s raw vocals were just as powerful as they are during the show; it was a beautiful and intimate experience to hear these songs with 80 other people. In between these stripped-back songs, Mica and Matt held a Q&A and touched on a variety of topics: their experience performing at Austin City Limits (ACL) this year, the post-production stage of the upcoming Imaginal Disk film, and visiting Benihana in Houston before the show. The pair both talked about their favorite songs to play on tour (Mica: Vampire in the Corner; Matt: The Ballad of Matt and Mica), and Mica had cited Argentine artist Charly García as a major influence. My favorite parts of this interaction were how down-to-earth Mica and Matt came across, reserved yet sweet.

An hour after the pre-show performance, the opener, Oxis, came on stage to perform her set. Oxis is a one-woman band. Her set consisted of a mix of electronic and pop, alternating between synthetic and live instrumentation. On stage, she would record live loops and sing over a drum machine. Oxis was truly a fascinating artist, somehow managing to relate all her songs to fish (“Piranha," “Flounder,” “Goldfish”). The range of her voice, specifically the use of falsetto, was effective, and the crowd was really receptive to her. A moment that stands out from this set was her cover of “Mr. Brightside,” which had everyone singing along and still managed to be related to fish, with Oxis stating to the crowd that the song was an ode to long sardines, the “potato chip of the sea.”

Once Oxis closed out her set, the stage crew pulled back these massive black curtains to reveal the stage Magdalena Bay was about to perform on. The best way to describe this set was a mix of Peewee’s Playhouse and Alice in Wonderland on acid. The stage included a 2-floor set-up, a multi-dimensional living room, a portal to another world, and a wall consisting of a tapestry filled with clouds and a blue sky.

When the lights dimmed and Magdalena Bay had started their set, it felt like the audience had been dropped off on a different planet. Matt came onto stage with an all-red outfit and Mica wearing a blue jumpsuit in the style of an intergalactic ABBA member. As the pair started to play through their set, one didn’t even need the visuals to experience the sonically dense and colorful world of instrumentation Magdalena Bay had to offer. Many of the songs performed were incredibly textured, with songs such as “Tonguetwister” and “Tunnel Vision” having insanely visceral and complex instrumental breaks. Between songs, Matt would seamlessly switch between bass and guitar, with every few songs performing a guitar solo that would entrance everyone in the crowd from “You Lose!” to “Dreamcatcher.”

Mica had a phenomenal stage presence throughout the entire show: skipping around the stage, constantly jumping, spinning, and interacting with the audience and set pieces on stage. Not only was her voice on point, but her performance was elevated by the theatrical elements of her showmanship. Mica would play a character on stage and perform these mini monologues, inviting the audience to experience the next song with her. Songs felt more like scenes from a psychedelic Broadway play. Throughout the show, she ended up having multiple costume changes: a red jumpsuit with planets pinned onto her, multiple masks, a translucent cape made from fake flames after the instrumental break of “Cry for Me,” and a blue ballerina outfit with angel wings during “Angel Satellite.”

Some of the strongest musical moments of the show consisted of the sheer power of Mica’s vocals on songs like “Love is Everywhere,” the instrumental passages on “Cry for Me” and “The Beginning,” and when the duo played an unreleased song called “Paint Me a Picture.” I was also taken aback by many of the visuals displayed on the portal, like the huge clock ticking during “Killing Time” and the Claymation portions of “That’s My Floor.”

There are very few artists with the ability to create as immersive a show as Magdalena Bay. The theatrical capabilities of the Imaginal Disk tour were the musical equivalent of experiencing a Meow Wolf exhibition – endlessly creative and colorful. The ambitious vision behind this tour exceeded every expectation I had walking through the doors of the House of Blues. The set design, costuming, and visuals alone were incredible, but the showmanship displayed by Matt, Mica, and the backing band propelled the show to a different level. Experiencing the show with fans dressed up, singing along, and bringing top energy made this performance a privilege to experience. I will think about this show weeks after I experienced it and still have a vivid image of the set, the grandeur of the sound, and how they made me feel like I could float.

Laundry Day Interview

Aug 9, 2025 | ktru

Written by Angela An and Cheryl Lee

LAUNDRY DAY, a New York city based American pop rock band, performed at Rice University for KTRU’s 33rd annual KTRU Outdoor Show. The high school friends (Sawyer Nunes (vocalist and drums), Jude Ciulla-Lupkin (vocalist), Henry Weingartner (guitarist), Henry Pearl (bassist)) turned four piece band have grown a mass cult following, and have garnered even more fans through their internet presence, who then discover their eclectic and unique sound, angsty lyrics, and even more vibrant personalities. LAUNDRY DAY dives into their musical sound and creative processes, favorite memories, and even gives us a tiny glance into their upcoming new album.

Q: What artists or bands do you individually look up to? Who are you inspired by? 

Sawyer Nunes (SN): The first album I got was Jack Johnson, The Curious George Soundtrack. It’s really great, but I loved Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles growing up, and then I kind of got into hip-hop in high school.

Jude Ciulla-Lupkin (JC): When we were soundchecking, someone was holding a baby and they were like, “Do you guys know any Wiggle songs?” And I was like, “Yes.” Wiggles was my upbringing. I used to have action figures that I brought everywhere. At the time, I don’t think I knew I would be in a four piece band myself, but maybe it was meant to be. And then honestly, I recently rewatched High School Musical, which is another big inspiration. It reminded me how ingrained that is in my tastes and the music they reference in that, whether it’s like the musical theater influence, [and] honestly there’s a lot of R&B and hip-hop influence in that soundtrack and the production. As silly as it sounds, that’s in my blood a little bit.

Henry Weingartner (HW): My parents for some reason got invited to Sting’s birthday party one year, and he performed. The entire thing was three hours, and Sting would play two songs with different musicians. The best one to them was he played “Wrapped Around Your Finger” with Rufus Wayne, and from then on, my dad would play Want One a lot. When we got derailed coming here, on our flight from Dallas to Houston, I listened to the same Rufus Wayne song (“Go Or Go Ahead”) over and over again.

Henry Pearl (HP): For me, my dad played Bernardo in West Side Story, so there was that sort of theater element, but he also played a lot of like Police. My mom was super into Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Carly Simon, etc. In the car, I think the thing everyone agreed on was like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Coldplay.

Q: What is your creative process when it comes to songwriting?

JC: We’re actually working on our album right now…We were actually just in LA, which..as loyal to New York as we are, the whole music industry is out there. So we were just there for a couple of weeks. But basically, every day we went to a different studio with different producers and played them some of the demos that we’ve been working on, but then made a lot of stuff from scratch with all of these different people and got to collaborate more than we ever have. But really, everything starts with the four of us just kind of brainstorming what we wanna make and just throwing paint at the wall. We have a lot of unfinished songs that kind of then just leads you to the finished ideas. So right now, the album is coming along and we’re at the phase where we have sort of the full written songs that we really like, and now we’re taking a lot of time working with producers and trying to refine the songs and you know, making track lists and all these different things. This one’s different from all the other ones that we’ve done too, just because we’re being a lot more collaborative than we ever had, which is fun.

SN: I think that’s a good way to describe it. A big thing that we always talk about is that it’s not like traditional band set up, because I feel like most kids our age learned to produce before they learned how to be in a band. Obviously that’s not the case for everyone, but we had so much fun making music on the computer together with each other that actually playing it live and being in a live band was kind of an afterthought. So because we all learned how to produce before we learned how to be in a band together, we’ll all play like different instruments where we’ll all have ideas for different things.

HP: Yeah. I think that really speaks to our origin story a little bit which is so classic, which is just that Jude wrote a song for his girlfriend and they just recorded it, and it’s all just been about the studio, but then also being able to play shows, like I think Sawyer says this a lot, like the celebration of that.

JC: Yeah, so we kind of produce like we’re almost making a rap song, like we’re making a beat in the computer like a hip hop producer might do it. Sometimes it is but not a lot of the time we’re sitting around on a guitar writing out the song, like writing out the song. It kind of makes itself and then we write over it like as if we’re writing verses. We actually just worked with an artist that was really fun to work with, d4vd. We just did a session with him, and it was really cool because he just had so much energy and worked really quick and that’s how we like to work too. So we had already made a couple of beats for him and played them for him, and as soon as the first one started playing he was just humming along and came up with sh*t on the spot and that’s our vibe too.

Q: You have quite a different sound than other artists - you don’t really fit yourself into a mold of expectations when it comes to artistry. What came about deciding that and how do you see this artistic vision growing in the next few years?

JC: We just played the album for some of our friends for the first time, one of which is here with us and he was just telling me, “It’s just really cool to see it go to the next level.” It’s us being a little bit older, us being a little more wiser, and us having new influences. I think that’ll keep happening and that’s what keeps us going. We are very much fed by the new thing we discover, to want to make something new and make something we are inspired by. Everytime we make an album, we kind of have a list of albums that we’re sort of modeling after, and every time it’s different. And then you finish the album and you sort of get the resolution of having been inspired by those things, and so you get to move onto the next thing. We’re so in the weeds of what we’re doing right now that who knows, but in a few months when we’re done with this album, there’s going to be the next thing, and we’re gonna keep making these albums. Hopefully every album has a different story behind it and we don’t get to the point where they all start to sound the same.

SN: As you grow older, you’re going to sound different. When I go back and listen to our old music, our voices and just like, our choices sound so so different, so even if we were trying to do the same thing over the course of eight years, it would end up sounding probably pretty different. I think on top of that, each time we make an album, we’re trying to do something sonically different. So that combined with just growing up and getting a little bit older I think is what makes people kind of feel like this is so genre-bending or all over the place. Like, even if we were trying to make six bedroom pop albums, I feel like just by growing up, you’d sound a little different over time. That combined with also going in with the intention of like - we were really hip-hop influenced by this album, and now we wanna be more rock, or now we want to be blah blah blah - like our voices will sound different no matter what genre we choose, so there’s some of that element that goes into it, too. So not all of it is super intentional that we want to be completely off the wall, but I think we’re going into it maybe differently than most artists, and we’re always inspired by different things. Even if you’re trying to make the same thing, you can never really make the same thing twice, you know? So, I think we try to lean into that.

HP: I would just add that the story changes as well: who you are and what you want to say. And we get conceptual and make sh*t up all the time, but we like each album to represent where we were at.

Q: Sawyer is now on drums - has that changed any dynamics or synergy you have as a band? What was it like having that transition from rhythm guitar/keys to drums? 

SN: Obviously, just to address the elephant in the room, losing a band member was really tough, especially since we had been with Etai since high school. So, the emotional part of it felt super weird, like, we had played with other drummers and our friends who were great as well. But it felt weird because it was like losing a part of yourself and like you knew the song so well. Listening to Etai do it over and over again that it felt like anyone who stepped in, like, I would have a million notes for them. So at first, it just made a lot of sense for me to do it because I could and also just because it made it easier, like traveling as a four piece compared to a five piece. Musically, the thing that I always have felt about it was when I was playing guitar and keys, I mean even just doing those two things, I would be running around kind of having all this energy and having to put down the guitar and go to the keys, and my energy on stage was just like jumping around and doing all this stuff. So like being behind the kit now, I feel like I’m way more grounded and my role, I just stay there and it’s like I’m putting all the energy into the floor rather than it all being super up in the air.

HW: Yeah. I mean the elephant in the room with the four of us after, you know, when we were faced with like with making a decision to who would play drums is like and it was a good elephant. It was that he's fucking great at it. And he's annoyingly good at it. And he's annoyingly good at like a lot of things. Whether or not he was playing keys or guitar, or drums, it's like, at least the energy between the four of us was there. And it was the energy that we had before Etai left. And then when he started playing, it was sort of like a no brainer, because he was fucking amazing.

JC: Yeah, it was shockingly easy and sort of sad, like he knew all the songs already. So, it was just easy to plug in, and every time we rehearsed with someone else, like, obviously they knew enough to play with us. But like we've been through so much together, and it was really strange to think of just popping someone into that. 
And so the fact that Sawyer was able to fill that role was like the biggest blessing ever.

SN: Like, there are a lot of times that I'll be singing back up during the show and like, I have to really focus on like, okay, I have to drum. I have to still be like super in front and in the pocket playing wise, but then like I have to be off the mic and not singing really loud. Like, it's easy when you're going really hard to wanna yell.

Q: You guys have been at this for a while. Do you have any favorite moments of your career so far?

JC: Definitely!

ALL: *general murmurs of thinking about their favorite memories*

JC: We reminisce probably a little too much.

HP: We have so many great memories.

HW: We have so many good stories among us.

SN: I think some of the favorites, not to call out any in particular, but I look back at all the moments where you think that it’s all crumbling, that you’re like “Oh, my God, how are we gonna move on from this?” And you do, so those are the moments where I think obviously we’ve had really cool touring experiences and got to play for some crazy crowds, but it’s always the moments that no one knows what the behind the scenes things were, like our car will break down, or [JC: run out of gas] Yeah, stuff like that where you have to walk a mile in the middle of Germany, being at a really scary gas station in the middle of the night.

JC: We talk about it all the time, like just writing a book someday, but really having a T.V. show some day where we can tell all these stories and recreate them. Honestly, to pander a little bit to us being in Texas right now, we have a lot of great Texas memories. Probably more than other places we’ve played in, maybe New York and L.A. I remember the first tour we ever went on, which is a great memory in itself, was our junior year of high school. We did a weekend where we played in Dallas and Austin, and the first time we ever played in Austin, we played at Stubs, and this family was there; this mom and her two daughters, and their friends. And we just bonded with them after the show, and they were so passionate, and they were as young as us. We just felt so much love.

HP: When we were on tour with the 1975, we had the best time with Matty and George. When we got back to the hotel, we were so excited that we had a water fight in the hotel. We were messing with the key cards, and this door was locked and then this one, and then you take a bucket and just pour it.

HW: I actually closed the connecting door to their room, literally the three of them didn’t have a key, and when I was in their room, I flipped their bed over. So we had to go downstairs and get the guy to take the door off the hinges. And then he went into the room, and then the bed was flipped over.

SN: I feel like whenever we do one of those things, like one of those crazy nights, it’s like someone is not having it. And that I remember, was me. Like I really wanted to go to bed. I remember when we got locked out, I remember how much of an a**h*le I was. [HP: The kind of duality of it is that, then like we clean it up.] But that’s why it’s funny. It’s like you’ll be on tour and you feel like you’re the coolest guy ever and you’re wearing an insane fit, and then you walk into a gas station in Missouri and you were like, “What are you doing?” There’s always this balance of feeling like we’re on top of the world, but also understanding the surroundings that we’re in [HW: incredibly humbled] Yeah, like you’re incredibly humbled just by existing sometimes in these different places, but that was a good story.

HW: I have a video of Henry Pearl, this is that same night, of Henry Pearl eating a bowl of cereal at the 1975 concert. Barefoot, they're playing, by the sound booth, and he’s eating a bowl of cereal. I was just so happy for him.

Q: You collabbed with a member of Brockhampton - Romil Hemnani - before for your album Homesick, and even got to talk to Matty Healy. Can you talk a little about this collaboration? Do you have anyone you want to collaborate with in the future or do you have anyone you are planning on collabing with? 

JC: Yeah, I mean we've crossed paths a lot of random people, which is kind of one of our great joys of being in this group. Everyone's different and we learn a lot every time. Romil and some of the other Brockhampton guys were some of the first people we ever met in the industry, that were artists in the industry that were we could look up to. We learned a lot from them and and then, you know, years later we're like making a video with Ed Sheeran and it's like holy sh*t, like, this guy's so different and has had such a different career from them. And we were with Matty….everyone's had a different path, and everyone sees the world a different way. We've worked with this guy, Alexander23 and he has such a different perspective too. When he was our age, he was in a band, and he was on the road like us, playing colleges and doing this whole thing. So we pick up little tidbits from everybody.

SN: When we went on tour with the 1975, or the whole year before, that would have been our dream tour, you know, just to meet them or hang out with them. And then I feel like you also really want to collab or do something that feels either, you know, monetarily valuable or like it’ll push your career in a in a different way. But a lot of times, what has been even more valuable to us is just like learning how to, once you're in that room, just sitting and absorbing. I feel like it's easy to wanna, “we should make a song together” or oh, “we gotta do this”. I think we've learned a little bit that, if something is meant to be, it'll be, and you have to just kind of nurture the relationship and not force anything. Like if we got to meet, you know, Ed Sheeran, you wanna kind of be careful about how much you're asking of that person and also it could be hard because we wanna geek out like so crazy and want everybody to come and work on our stuff. But it's almost more, I don't know, it's almost more like universally telling when, something will happen and it won't go exactly what we planned or we won't get to make a song with Matty Healy, but he'll listen to one of our songs and be like, “you guys are great! Keep going!”

Q: Younger Than I Was Before had a very school boy image attached to it, especially with the matching uniforms. Is there something y’all are wanting to do for your next one? 

JC: Definitely. We’re not going to give it away, so it kind of goes back to what we were saying before, like we want every album to have an identity, we look up to artists who do that so well. Every album’s an era, and we look up to that a lot, especially when we go then to play shows, like that was so cool to be able to wear the outfits. That’s where it all came from, we just wanted to wear matching outfits. For the album, we ended up not even doing our own tour, we just opened for someone, but even then because we had the costume and aesthetic around it, it felt like our thing - when we were on stage of course not during the whole night. So whatever and whenever that next thing comes, it will be just different and exciting, and people will come to the show and know how to dress and know what to expect from the vibe of the music and everything, and the opener, hopefully, aids all of that as well. We really want to curate things like that.

SN: The one thing I will say, which I think is not giving anything away, something that we think about is like, for the last album, the theme and the vibe was super, super specific, as opposed to like - when we were telling fans to come like wear ties and schoolboy uniforms - for some of our previous albums, we feel like there’s been a universal theme, but it all depends on like, sometimes you want to be really specific and for [Younger Than I Was Before] it was a concept album, and sometimes, like in We Switched Bodies, it was more of a bigger theme. So I can’t promise we’re going to wear matching outfits again, but sometimes it can just be like, we’ll watch great live sets. You'll be like “Oh that era” or like whatever that was, or like the feeling of that album, like sometimes that’s enough to hold it together. It also makes it more fun for us because it’s not like every time we play, we do the same thing, just different, or we wear matching outfits. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t, so it makes it more fun for us to switch it up in terms of how detail oriented we go.

Q: Is there a tentative release timeline? 

ALL: Can we say it? We already kind of said it.

JC: It’s going to be a summer album. It’s going to be a High School Musical 2 kind of album.

A&C: brat summer, Laundry Day summer.

HP: We’ll never forget brat summer.

Q: Do the Henrys have nicknames to differentiate from each other? Do you call one Penry and the other Wenry?

SN: Originally it was HP and HW, but that wawa like the root that grew into all these names. It’s like “Dub” for W and then “Dubber” and then we call him like “Piss”... like “H Piss”. Henry's middle name is Samuel, but then we started calling him Samuel.

HW: His name is not Samuel.

HP: My middle name is Samuel (Sam-WELL). Depends on how you want to pronounce it. Did I make that decision myself? Yes.

SN: And then we started calling him Sam-WELL. And Sami.

HP: And also they have nicknames too, like Sawyer the other day responded to Nu-Nu.

After this interview, LAUNDRY DAY absolutely rocked the KTRU stage - performing their hit songs like “Jane,” “FRIENDS,” “Other Side of the World,” and closing with a cover of “Party in the USA.” The crowd danced, sang along, and celebrated the end of an outstanding KTRU Outdoor Show! Thank you to LAUNDRY DAY, Basma Bedawi and the rest of Outdoor Show Committee, and KTRU!

John michel Interview

Jun 29, 2025 | ktru

By Steven Burgess

Underground Hip-Hop artist John Michel recently came out with Egotrip, marking his first studio collaboration with producer Anthony James. Egotrip is a follow-up to Michel’s previous collaboration with producer Bedhead Bobby on his breakout mix-tape, Sinful Temptations (2023). Since then, through the influence of online platforms like Rate Your Music and Album of the Year, the duo’s popularity has exploded within online music circles. I had the pleasure of talking to Michel about his creative process and the two-year journey he and Anthony went through to make Egotrip.

Steven B: What was on rotation when you were a kid listening to music, and how did that influence your musical upbringing?

John Michel: The first song I probably ever remember hearing was “All Falls Down” by Kanye [West]. My mom was a huge Kanye fan when I was growing up… obviously being from Chicago, that was a huge influence… Around middle school, I discovered Chance the Rapper, and those kind of themes… that he tackles in his music greatly influenced the direction and stuff that I pursue when I make music now. I mean, there's a whole bunch of stuff I listen to, people say [my] voice kind of sounds like Rick Ross… When I went to college in Philly... everybody learned the words to “Dreams and Nightmares” [by Meek Mill]... I got to learn [that] song too… I mean, I love Hip Hop.

I played the saxophone since I was ten years old, as well… Jazz had a huge influence on the way that I make music. So when I'm making the beats, we have context in jazz that… directs the themes and stuff that we go for.

Steven B: You've gone on the record saying, “it's not an album closer unless it sounds like an Earl Sweatshirt song.” How do you feel wearing your influences on your sleeve has helped you find your sound?

John Michel: There's no question about it, right? I was influenced by other artists, and I remember when I was making my first mixtape, Sinful Temptations, I [said], “the last song’s gotta sound like an Earl song, and this is what we're going to do.” Everybody can know it: I like Earl Sweatshirt’s music.

For “Sunday Morning Genesis,” I [told Anthony], “we need a beat that kind of sounds like some of them Earl songs… I want something that feels warm and fuzzy, at the end of the project to seal the deal.”

I feel like it kind of be disingenuous if I don't wear my influences on my sleeve. I want people to realize this is something that anybody can do. You know, I listen to a bunch of people, I pick what I like from them and then craft my own style.

Steven B: Throughout the record, there's a lot of references to Christianity and the Bible. How do you feel spirituality influences the writing and the sound of Egotrip?

John Michel: To some extent, [I am] constantly at odds with myself. Right? Because I mean, obviously one of the biggest Christian values is being humble… and I'm unfortunately a man with a big ego. So those things… don't get along with each other all the time.

Going to church when I was little [compared to] going to church now as an adult, reading the Bible, praying. God influences the way that I live my life... but I mean, I'm still a person, right? Those two things that… are at odds with each other in this… fight that I'm having with myself is laid out on the album.

Steven B: How do you go about your writing process: Do you freestyle, write down your rhymes, or do you wait until you get the beat?

John Michel: It's a little bit of both… Anthony and I, normally… we'll talk about a song [and] the idea of what we want to make… [such as the case for] “PREACHER!” I tried to make “PREACHER!” 11 times… [after hearing the vocals in a] dream… I think [when we recorded, there were] 11 tracks of me yelling and then 8 tracks of me singing it underneath… There was this one sample that I heard my freshman year of college, and I was like… “We can do something with that!” Anthony chopped it and made it real hard, and then I went in and threw some drums on it.

Well now, I have a beat that's really hard and I have these giant “preacher” vocals. What do I rap about? So… once I catch a groove with what I'm writing, I'll… play the beat over and over again and just record a bunch of nothing and see what sticks, pull some bars out of that, and then be like, “what am I trying to say here?” Then… all the punch lines and stuff that I wrote when I was freestyling… evolve into what ends up being a whole song.

On other tracks like “world’s end”, I freestyled that song, listened to what I was saying and then just cleaned it up… and then recorded it… that song is three minutes [long with] no chorus… [it’s] just what I wanted to say.

Steven B: You talked about how some of these songs you've recorded 10 or 11 times, did any of the songs on the final [album] sound completely different than when they were in demo form?

John Michel: The whole second half [of “PREACHER!”], we got Colin's verse, and I recorded the second verse of that song a month and a half before it dropped. Originally, we had this whole other section with organs and strings and guitar. [We thought], we're doing too much, let's just cut it back and keep it hard and we wanted to make that song pretty, so that ended up changing [on] Egotrip.

If you go through my TikTok long enough ago, there's a video of me rapping on the original “Egotrip” beat. Way different. The verse is different. My delivery is different. Everything changed. I mean, Anthony worked on that beat for nine months [to] a year before we figured it out.

[For] “Don't Save Me,” Anthony and I knew exactly what we wanted… we [were] going to make “The Heart Part V” [by Kendrick Lamar], but a little bit more aggressive… I knew that third verse that I do, where… its just me, the bass, and Kennadi’s vocals, I was like “that is something I want to do. I'm going to do that.” Then we made it happen, you know? That song was really inspired and we knew exactly what we wanted. Some things changed, but other times… this is the sound, [this] is what we're doing, and we're going to make what we imagine up here, you know?

Steven B: Originally “Don't Save Me” wasn't actually supposed to be the intro. Wasn't it “Egotrip” supposed to be the intro?

John Michel: “Egotrip” was gonna be the intro because we're like [let’s make the] title track the intro… “Don't Save Me” was on the chopping block for a year because we're like, it's too hard. We didn't want to do it because it was too difficult. We had to honestly get better at making music to go back to “Don't Save Me” and actually execute it in the way that we had imagined. So, for literally a year, that chorus section we had [left] empty and we didn't know what we wanted to do for a chorus, until we found Kennadi Rose for “NOBODY.” [For] “Don't Save Me”... La Reezy’s verse was going to be at the end, but we didn't even know it was going to be La Reezy.

Once we finished “Don’t Save Me,” [it was] probably the most technically proficient song that we had made. It's like… all of the stops are pulled on [“Don’t Save Me” with] live instruments, live piano, we recorded our own strings. You could take the sample out [of] that song and barely even notice.

Steven B: How much of Egotrip do you think consists of live instruments?

John Michel: Sometimes, I like to just turn off the sample and just listen to what we made because I remember when I made my first project, Sinful Temptations, some jackass at my school was like, “it's not real music because you're just sampling it, this is easy, I could do that.” So when I started making this new project with Anthony, we started doing more live stuff, and we kind of became obsessed with… live instruments… and not a lot of people really go after that kind of thing.

How many live instruments? I don't know. “THE KEYS (interlude pt. 1)” [uses] the “Father Stretch My Hands” sample, but [what] a lot of people don't notice is [that] we slammed that [song] with organs. My one homie just got one of those Nord pianos, and for three hours, we were just pulling out the stops on the organ, going at it, and that huge punch when the beat comes in, that comes from four different tracks of organs.

For other songs…  like “PREACHER!”, that guitar [part] wasn't there until Anthony was like, “my one boy, he heard “PREACHER!”, he wants to record guitar on it.” Boom! Let’s do it, send it. “world's end” guitar was a part of the ethos of that song… We [wanted] this Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix thing… Whenever we were thinking, we got somewhere and we're like, “I want some more texture, some more movement, some more sauce.” Let's call up one of our friends… we went to Drexel [and] they have a pretty big music program, so they had studios all over campus. Let’s go into one of the studios, reserve it and lay down this guitar, lay down these drums.

Steven B: Being college students when you made Egotrip, how did you go about the process of collaborating with other artists?

John Michel: As far as Ben Crosbie, Kenny Blake, [Jett Mann], even Griffin Lyon who helped out on “PREACHER!,” a lot of those names, those were people that we knew in college… I was in the Drexel fusion band, right? I played saxophone… [and] I met some of these people like Jett, he was in the band too… Luckily, Sinful Temptations did well enough where people at [Drexel] knew my name too, so they were a little bit more inclined to work with me and Anthony; then as far as Senju and La Reezy and colin! and KidTokio and all them, once we started posting the music, it kind of became easier to [say], “hey, here's my discography. Do you want to feature on this next song that we're making?”

Thank God [Yung Senju] said yes… because he agreed to be a primary artist on “NOBODY,” [which was] well deserved. His verses are just as long as mine. Right? He definitely influenced the direction that song went. With [“NOBODY”] being on his page, that elevated the streams a little bit. When [Anthony found] colin! [and] KidTokio… he was like, “they would sound good on these songs.” Word, let's send it.

Steven B: I was able to dig up “Thank you, Mr. Bradley.” [Could you provide any context?]

John Michel: Griffin is one of my best friends from elementary school, probably fifth grade. The first song I ever made was with Griffin [and it] was “Thank you, Mr. Bradley.”

I still try to work with [Griffin] as much as I can. He helped out with “PREACHER!”… The biggest thing that he's been doing is listening and giving us advice on what to do and stuff like that. This project was primarily me and Anthony… I literally called him and I called Bobby, the person who made Sinful Temptations, [and] I'm like, “we're all working together now. For this next thing, whatever we do, let's put all of our brains together because we're in a spot where we should be doing that, so we can all elevate each other.”

Steven B: Bedhead Bobby helped produce your last mixtape. What was the difference between working with Bobby compared to Anthony?

John Michel: With Bobby, it was my first time doing music [seriously]… This was the first time I was rapping on somebody else's beats because before [working with Bobby], I was just making my own thing, recording and not really posting. Sometimes with Griffin, we’d make the beats together, we made one song called “Pablo”... [Working] with Bobby, it was a lot of learning… what sound do we want to sound like… If you listen to Sinful Temptations, it sounds all over the place because I didn't really know where my voice sat… I was still learning a lot.

With Anthony. I was like, “we are making really big sounding rap music, and that's what I want, that's what I'm good at, and that's what we're going to do.” [I would] quote that DJ Khalid clip where he’s talking crap about Tyler [the Creator] and he was like “mysterious music, I don’t want mysterious music.” Jokingly, I say that to Anthony, I'm like, “nothing mysterious! Nothing weird! We're just making things loud and big.” That took some work, but eventually we got to a point where probably the biggest insult you could say is that… [Egotrip is] all really big, yeah, well that's what I wanted… I [wanted] 12 songs that [are] in your face loud.

Working with Anthony was a lot more of me telling him what I wanted, whereas with Bobby [it] was him asking me what I wanted. Obviously Anthony and Bobby both had their DNA all over both of those projects, you know, without them, we wouldn't be doing this interview right now.

Steven B: Were there any songs that were cut off Egotrip?

John Michel: Yeah, there were a few… if you scroll on TikTok, there's this one song called “2000,” and it was the goofiest thing we ever made. It [went], “I spent $2000 on a one night stand.” It was just silly because we didn't know how serious we wanted to take this project, so I threw in something silly, and we're like, “oh, this is going to be our ‘Gold Digger.’”... A couple months later, we listen to it again and we're like, “this sounds sucks.”

There’s one called “Run Hot”... There were a bunch because we were working on Egotrip for two years. “Take No More” came out forever ago… In between that, there's so many songs that either evolved or we just literally never touch it again… at least 15 or 20.

Steven B: What sparked the connection between you and Anthony?

John Michel: The way we met is actually hilarious. I did a show for Sinful Temptations at Drexel. I got Kidz at Play… to come to Drexel and I was like, “I'm gonna open for them, so I can launch Sinful Temptations.” That was my mastermind plan and we made it happen. It was really cool, and I got Wiseboy Jeremy to come as well.

Anthony really liked my performance… and he was really drunk, too. He came up to me eight separate times [telling me], “I need to make music with you.” I was like, “word dude, this is kind of getting weird because this is time number six. Let's pump the brakes.”

The next thing, he sends me a bunch of beats and I'm like “oh, these are really nice.” There were a few people that sent me stuff [but with] Anthony, I'm like, “this is it.” So I start rapping on some of his songs, we start posting some of the songs, and then he's really receptive [when I told him to] change XYZ to ABC.

We both improved so much where it's a lot less of me telling him what I want and it's kind of him [telling me], “I made this and it's undeniably hot.” So I'm like, yeah… I'll rap on this, you know? So we're both growing together and our sounds are kind of merging in a way. That relationship is invaluable. I really can't imagine making music with random producers or anything like that right now.

Steven B: What was the hardest song to produce [on the album]?

John Michel: “Don't Save Me” is definitely up there just because there's so much going on in that song. I did the sample chop and then [Anthony] went through and did his own run of things that he wanted to add… Then we started recording piano and bass and stuff like that. We just had so much music to parse through and figure out how to arrange and that became extremely difficult… just generally arranging [asking ourselves], “where do I put this chorus?” The first chorus is half as long as the other two, La Reezy’s verse was a whole beat switch in the third of his verse because he recorded 24 [bars] for some reason, instead of 16 or 32, that threw us off like, “what am I going to do here?”

“ONEWAY” was also just a weird hodgepodge of different things. There's three samples happening in “ONEWAY” and making those [match] BPM] clicks so it all sounds like one [was very difficult]. “NOBODY” started off as Anthony's beat and I was like, “no, we're doing it this way.” I remade it and then… I threw a bunch of the stuff that he made back into it.

I would say the hardest songs were the ones where we disagreed, where we both wanted to make the beat… but it ends up all working at the end. Those are the ones that are hard because things will be shifted over one click because I re-chop the sample and now it's chopped a little bit differently than the way he did it, so my drums don't hit the same way on his file anymore. Those weird technical issues that you would never think you would encounter [happened] all the time. I was like, “why is everything out of sync, right now?” [At times], we were recording two different versions of a song that [were] entirely different, you know? That made things difficult, but I mean, we worked through it [and] we got to where we got.

Steven B: Did any mistakes or [happy accidents] end up on the final record?

John Michel: That beat switch on La Reezy’s verse on “Don't Save Me,” I had that sample put into my MPC and I was chopping and I hit the button. Anthony and I started talking while I was showing him the chop and it goes like, “Do you know the reason, let me know.” That part just started playing, and we’re talking, and Anthony says “Keep it! Keep it! Keep it! Whatever that is, keep it in! Use that whole section!”

The intro to “Take No More”... I kind of did that as a joke. I was like, “what if we just made a pump fake for the beginning of ‘Take No More?’” Anthony was like, “this is the dumbest idea I've ever heard.” [I told him], “give me a second. Let me cook here.” I threw it in there, I made it happen.

Steven B: Who designed the album cover and what's the significance to the record?

John Michel: [Matteo DeVito] designed it… Basically, I was kind of copying myself. So [I made] Sinful Temptations artwork, and so after making that… I kind of wanted to do the same thing [on Egotrip], but kind of messier and darker… [I wanted] art and a shape that looks like turmoil.

Somebody put it on albumoftheyear.org and everyone is like “did Swans drop a week early?”... I didn't know what Swans was… apparently we were inspired by Swans. I'm very glad that [Birthing by] Swans looks like us because that’s probably one of the biggest reasons that people started to listen to [Egotrip] because it looks like Swans. I still have yet to listen to Birthing, but I'm sure it’s great.

If there's any confusion, whether or not, new Swans was dropping and we copied them and this was some whole ploy, entirely not the case. I was copying myself and copying Sinful Temptations. If you want to call me uninspired, call me uninspired for copying myself, not for copying Swans.

I didn't know what albumoftheyear.org was until two weeks ago. I made the account and I was just like, “hey guys, thank you for loving the music.” I didn't know what it was, and it's really funny now to see they changed me and Swans “must-listen” [label] to a circle instead of being a star… So yeah, thank God for that website because honestly, they put me here.

Steven B: What is some feedback you've [received] from people online or your friends?

John Michel: It's really easy to focus on the hate. So firstly, everybody that took the time out to review it and be like, “this was great.” That makes my day every single day. [It's] honestly insane that [so] many people messed with what I do. I think there's some really valid criticism in there [too]... I [wanted] to make really loud and big songs and do a whole album like that, but I can see how it can probably be a little bit tiring to the listener… up until the last song, it is just in your face. That criticism of [varying] it more, I'm like, “oh, yeah, word. Definitely, that makes sense.” So definitely, there's some good criticism in there… I was just informing myself of what people wanted to hear because I was just making what I wanted to hear.

I'm looking for different things in myself, [to] challenge my [music] into [directions] that I'm less comfortable with, right, which are different sounds and stuff like that. The music that we’re working on, it's still really similar, but we're just kind of testing ourselves with how we can pull this into a different direction and test ourselves [with] different kinds of [approaches other] than big, right.

The people would just call it ass, I hate you. Go away. At least say something. At least tell me why it’s ass, that's just no fun… For the most part, it's been overwhelmingly positive, and the non-positive ones that have been helpful, have been super helpful.

Steven B: Would you say there's been any surprise reactions from artists you admire or kind of look up to that have listened to the album?

John Michel: Steven Dos, he made a cover of “Teenage Dream” that blew up on TikTok. He just DM’d me the word “insane.” So that was cool. JahTalksMusic is a person [that] I watch… and he talked about Egotrip, and that was also insane.

[Anthony] Fantano will probably never happen. Maybe the next project, if it does better, that would be crazy, but the fact that he acknowledged one of Anthony’s TikToks is already insane, so maybe he's listened and just didn't make a review. I wonder if he has and what he thinks. I would get nervous of a Fantano reaction, and then he gives me a four, and I'll just be sad for a week. So maybe it's a good thing that he hasn't reviewed it.

Steven B: Do you have any other dream collabs?

John Michel: JEV is definitely who I'm aiming at right now. I got to make something that he's going to rock with. People compare me to redveil a little bit, [but] that dude can sing way better than I can. I think we could have a good vibe there. If I was rapping, he was singing, that'd be really cool. Those are things kind of further down the line. I kind of want to work with what's working.

Senju and I, we were texting the other day, we're going to try to make something else happen, make another song. [We’ll] probably throw Kennadi in there too, because that's a formula that I was like, “yeah, we can do that. That works. We sound good together.”

[I want to] work with some people I've worked before, like… Wiseboy Jeremy, I love his voice and I like his sound, you know, people from the first project… People that feature on our songs are [artists] that I listen to, so if I can [continue to] work with people that I'm a fan of, I want to keep doing that.

Steven B: Is there anything we can expect from you and Anthony in the near future?

John Michel: We're working on music every day… Luckily, I got off work early today, I'm gonna go make some music, you know? So it's just like, when it's done, it'll be done. No dates or anything like that yet… But yeah, definitely soon, 100%.

Panchiko Review

Jun 15, 2025 | ktru

By Steven Burgess

Panchiko has one of the most fascinating origin stories of any band in the 21st century - the modern-day Rodriguez (see “Searching for Sugar Man”).

Panchiko was the joint effort of four British high school students that used cheap recording equipment to make an EP called D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L, released in 2000 with only 30 copies released. The collective never got signed to a label, and the EP would remain a relic lost to time until 2016, when a 4Chan user posted a distorted version online after buying a damaged CD at a local thrift store. This post resulted in a 4-year dedicated online search into the whereabouts of Panchiko and its founding members.

In 2020, the lead singer Owain Davies was contacted via Facebook about the potential lead of him being a part of Panchiko, which he soon confirmed. Since then, the original members of Panchiko reformed, touring across North America and Europe, with their resurgence resulting in a dedicated cult fanbase.

Panchiko is currently on tour for their newest record, Ginkgo. Last week, Panchiko performed at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona, with flyingfish and Alison’s Halo as opening acts.

The first opener, flyingfish, automatically caught my attention with the kaleidoscopic imagery they flooded the stage with. Loud and distorted Shoegaze filled the venue as 16-year-old Arizona-based frontman Sam Fishman passionately sang over angst-ridden songs. I commend Fishman and his band for the sonic textures throughout their set (“forest green” & “long forgotten” being prime examples) and the confidence they had on stage at such a young age.

The next opener, Alison’s Halo, was the best I’ve ever seen live. The Shoegaze/Dream Pop group hailing from Arizona played as if they headlined, delivering lush vocals and heavenly instrumentation. Hearing a song like “Slowbleed” live felt like the sonic equivalent of floating, with the guitars bathed in pedals and played with pristine tone. I was taken aback by how amazing the group sounded live, feeling that I had awoken from a trance once their set finished.

At 10pm, Panchiko got on stage and gave a performance to remember. For every song the band performed, I felt like I was listening to their music for the first time. Davies’ live vocals were electrifying, with some fantastic belting on tracks like “Kicking Cars.” The rawness of the vocals paired wonderfully with the great playing from guitarist/keyboardist Andy Wright, bassist Shaun Ferreday, drummer John Schofield, and additional guitarist Rob Harris.

Each band member on-stage radiated a genuine love for their craft as they looked out into a crowd of people who fell in love with their music purely by chance. Back in 2023, Owain Davies gave a quote to SPIN Magazine citing that “It’s hard to take it all in… Sometimes you have to pinch yourself and go, ‘woah, look at all these people who know who we are and want to see us.’ It’s mad” (Author: Max Pilley).

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the crowd, fans began to sing numerous Panchiko songs word for word. I can hardly remember the last time I had been in a decently small venue with a crowd that had as much enthusiasm and love for a band as this one. The mainly teenage audience caused me goosebumps when singing along to a song like “D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L” or “Untitled Demo 1997.”

The emotional apex of the concert was “Laputa,” with a powerful display of vulnerability from Davies in his vocal performance and the effective instrumentation from quaint piano to soft guitar arpeggios by Wright. As people around me recited every line of the song, Panchiko’s live sound hit a new level of substance that surpassed anything recorded. As the set neared its end, I felt that the band had tapped into the crowd’s heart, expressing intangible feelings through melodic songs ranging from upbeat fun (“Stuck”) to touching (“Lifestyle Trainers”) and performing with an authentic nature I simply cannot describe.