Artsick

Artsick draws from the rawer edges of D.I.Y. indie pop traditions exemplified by Dolly Mixture, Talulah Gosh, and Vivian Girls. Fronted by Christina Riley, the former singer and guitarist of Burnt Palms, the Oakland, California-based trio issued its first full-length album, the wounded yet catchy Fingers Crossed, in 2022.

Riley launched the project after composing material solo and longing for the interplay she had known in her previous group. She recruited bassist and backing vocalist Donna McKean, previously of Lunchbox and Hard Left, along with drummer and backing vocalist Mario Hernandez, who had played with Kids on a Crime Spree and Ciao Bella. Together the musicians looked to the rosters of K Records and the C-86 era, as well as later acts including Vivian Girls and Colleen Green. Their songs combine buoyant melodies, candid and self-reproachful words, and a loose, unpolished delivery.

The band’s first recordings appeared in June 2018 as the 7-inch single “Going Down”/“No Clue” on the fledgling Yr First Crush label, which in turn attracted the attention of Slumberland Records; the group’s debut album, Fingers Crossed, followed on that imprint in January 2022.