Balms’ anticipated album Mirror hits the streets in February 2019 and the intriguing taste they’ve given us so far is their newest single, “Candle.” Self-proclaimed bummer pop, this chugging indie rock jam might make us a little more anxious if it weren’t for the cooing, sweet vocals shining through the darkness. It’s like Grizzly Bear took a dip in the grunge bath and we want to jump in. Every part of this song—the composition, the lyrics, the feelings—is a multilayered mélange that’s hard to shake. “I want your soul,” he says, a charming, echoing call. Songs like this are why categories like dream rock exist. -Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

It's Tuesday. You've recovered from your FYF haze, and now you're itching to get out and see some more kickass bands.

Hopefully the tinnitus has gone away, that is, if you didn't accidentally forget your earplugs for two days straight. If not, you're gonna want to remember to bring them to this show, because it's a killer. And if you were disappointed in the lack of local acts this FYF (you probably didn't wake up early enough for JUNK), don't worry — you can compensate tonight!

Local show organizers FineTime is holding a three-course performance tonight (event link here) at Vega's Meat Market with delicious servings of full stop rock, creamy dreamy pop, and ethereal electronic apértif.

Up first to whet your sonic appetite is mAsis, the Glendale act that floats and pulsates serenely — fans of The XX and Odesza's chilled tones will be pleasantly surprised to hear these guys.

Then, OC's agitatin' rock band Media Jeweler changes the pace with full-force hits from their debut album $99 R/T Hawaii, out September 18th on Fire Talk Records. The songs are meaty, filling, and will leave you feeling bloated — everything a main course strives to be.

And ending the night is BALMS, the dreampop trio from San Francisco on the tail end of their summer tour through the Southwest coast. These guys made a recent appearance at Los Angeles' DreamGaze Fest, showering attendees with their billowy lo-fi pop jangle — a great way to end the evening, unlike that molten chocolate lava cake I had at Chili's.

Tickets are still available online via Ticketfly, but this isn't a bougie event; there will be door sales, too! Show starts at 7:30 pm, so mind the horrendous LA traffic. - Ryan Mo

We're excited to share the news that a new festival will be taking place at The Cave on August 29th in San Francisco, CA!

DreamGaze Collective, a group of musicians, music lovers and promoters with a shared interest in musical genres ranging from shoegaze and dream-pop to post-punk and nugaze features members who are vested in furthering these genres. From putting on shows all around Southern California to expanding their efforts into a larger festival.

The San Francisco edition will feature local San Francisco psychedelic rock n' roll band LSD and The Search For God as headliners, and many other bands such as Balms, Crescendo, Cruel Summer, Bellavista, Golden Drugs and many more. It will be $15 for advanced tickets and $20 for door. This festival is an all ages event.

"Greg (from Los Angeles band Crescendo and I became friends and started talking about doing festival-style shows in LA/SF highlighting our favorite local dreampop / shoegaze / post-punk-ish bands. There's been a lot of really cool new bands coming out of both cities, so over all it was really easy to get everyone together and excited about it. There is still an amazing group of creative people living here, being cool as hell and making rad art/music." -Jared Padovani of Balms

Click here to RSVP to the event:

LSD and the Search for God (SF)
Balms (SF)
Cruel Summer (SF)
Golden Drugs (OAK)
Crescendo (LA)
Bellavista (SF // members of Tamaryn)
WHITE CLOUD (SF // members of Deafheaven)
Night Shapes (OAK)
Surf Club (STOCKTON // members of Craft Spells)
Mother Room (OAK)

DJ Sets by:

BABY J (Popgang)
Dometrious James (White Cloud, Mwahaha)
Greg Wilson (DKFM)
Jamie Jams (Debaser)
Jonathan Reddick (Slime City)
Joshua Yule (Cruel Summer)

Visuals by White Light Prism
Poster by Jonathan Reddick

August 29th, 2015 || 3 PM - Midnight
The Cave, SF || All Ages
$15 Adv || $20 Door
dreamgaze.net

The Dreamgaze Festival is back, and this time it's happening at Los Globos.

Presented in tandem with DKFM, Dream Wave, Counter Culture, and KXLU, Dreamgaze Festival will feature bands of Los Angeles' alternative youth scene, including the post-rock quartet Young Lovers, coldwave/post-industrial group Cruelty Code, bi-coastal duo Ablebody, and dreamgazing band Cre·scen·do. The festival will also be graced by Florida's indie/electronic producer Millionyoung, Arizona's lo-fi shoegazers Shallow, San Francisco's dreamy power trio Balms, and more.

Presale tickets are available on the DreamGaze site, and a limited quantity will be sold at Origami Vinyl. More acts will be announced in the coming weeks, so this is looking to be a thoroughly packed show — don't wait up. The DreamGaze Festival's last iteration was held near Ontario and featured bands like Tennis System, SHEER, and the Italian dreampop Be Forest. Its organizer, Gregory Cole, is the guitarist/singer for Cre·scen·do and promoter of underground music events. - Ryan Mo

A great local line up has been put together for tonight's show at Rickshaw Stop. O (formally known as Black Cobra Vipers) will be headlining the show with critically acclaimed local bands, Annie Girl & the Flight and Balms. These bands are a few of the cream of crop in the Bay Area music scene. We're excited to highlight this show because we've been listening to and watching these bands grow for some time.