Cold Showers

Cold Showers took their name from a countermeasure to the constant sunshine in Los Angeles, fusing post-punk, synth pop, and indie pop into a cohesive sound. Early work such as the 2012 mini-album Love and Regret showcased the group’s straightforward approach to these genres, an approach they later developed further on the synth-focused 2015 album Matter of Choice and the more elaborate 2019 release Motionless.

Jonathan Weil on vocals and bass, Jessie Clavin on vocals and guitar, keyboardist Brian Davila, drummer Renee Adams, and guitarist Chris King established the band in 2010. Their debut single Highlands, issued by Mexican Summer in 2011, paired boy-girl vocals with fuzzed-out guitars that recalled X and the Jesus and Mary Chain, while the follow-up single Decay appeared in 2012 just before Dais Records put out Love and Regret. The group made their initial Part Time Punks appearance that same year at the Echo Park club in L.A. and returned for a second session in June 2013.

Cold Showers focused more intently on songcraft and leaned harder into synth textures throughout the 2015 album Matter of Choice. By the release of Motionless in 2019 the lineup had shifted to Weil, King, Tony Bevilacqua, and Emily Rose Epstein. King produced the sessions at the band’s own L.A. studio, where the third album gained additional color from brass and string arrangements.