Los Angeles singer/songwriter Nicky Blitz (born Nick Scapa) plays a raucous blend of rock -- incorporating California surf, psych flourishes, and garage grit -- similar to the Thee Oh Sees and Wavves. Influenced by James Murphy and Max Martin, Scapa started behind the scenes as part of a production team, 10K Islands, that wrote music for television and advertisements, as well as for pop artists like Miley Cyrus (2010's "Liberty Walk"), Icona Pop (2013's "Light Me Up"), and The Voice's Juliet Simms ("Wild Child"). His Honor Roll Studio in Miami has also hosted artists like Diplo, FKA Twigs, Boys Noize, and Pharrell Williams. His first major foray as a singer came in 2012 with the single "Blast Off." The five-song Hawk EP arrived in 2015, with a sound resembling Jim Morrison fronting LCD Soundsystem. His genre-blurring continued in 2016 on "House," which blended his Nick Cave baritone with the B-52s' quirkiness, and a faithful cover of the Nerves' "When You Find Out." ~ Neil Z. Yeung