Bad Suns

Christo Bowman, Gavin Bennett, and Miles Morris emerged as an alternative to the Southern California stereotype. The trio, which made their debut in 2010 as descendents of the Woodland Hills community of LA, were no fans of sugary pop and sunshine-laden glamor. The music they gravitated to—and created on projects like their 2014 debut, Language & Perspective—was darker, more death-obsessed, and decidedly antagonistic to the tropes typically associated with Angelenos. The band puts an emphasis on thematic storytelling, writing shimmering alt-pop jams that equate a first kiss to cardiac arrest and a particular shade of violet that is reminiscent of an unattainable love. On 2022’s Apocalypse Whenever, the band continued this poetic approach to their brand of indie pop, best illustrated on fan favorite “Baby Blue Shades.” The cheery guitar line and finger-snaps bely the subject matter, namely a relationship that’s hard to step away from. “Oh, I can see the moon from my kitchen,” Bowman sings, before adding: “But I cannot see through this decision.”