Employing a brooding blend of nervy post-punk and beachy West Coast goth rock, Los Angeles-based duo Band Aparte is the brainchild of Brian Mendoza and Tara Jane. Inspired by seminal underground bands like Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, the Cure, Echo & the Bunnymen, Sonic Youth, New Order, and Dead Kennedys, the band's clever pairing of gloomy darkwave and big pop hooks eventually landed them at L.A. indie label Manifesto Records. The resulting Memory on Trial, their debut long-player, was released in 2016. ~ James Christopher Monger