Inner Wave

Los Angeles indie quintet Inner Wave craft a bright, experimental blend of psych-pop and synthwave that secured them substantial streaming traction along with a devoted regional audience throughout the mid-2010s, driven especially by tracks such as “American Spirits” and “Eclipse.” Quirky yet melodic material paired with the members’ shared Filipino, Colombian, and Mexican roots has positioned the group as underground favorites within the local Latinx indie rock scene next to peers including Chicano Batman and Cuco. Their 2017 album Underwater Pipe Dreams marked a modest breakthrough, drawing widespread praise and broadening their reach across the country. Two years later they delivered the expansive Apoptosis.

Formed by childhood friends from Inglewood who first collaborated as teenagers, the lineup features Pablo Sotelo on vocals and guitar, Jean Pierre Narvaez handling bass and vocals, Chris Runners on keys and vocals, Elijah Trujillo contributing guitar and keys, and Luis Portillo on drums. Early exposure to acts like the Arctic Monkeys, the Strokes, and Gorillaz sparked their creativity while they acquired instruments and began composing during late-2000s high school years. Once they started issuing material in 2012, Inner Wave had evolved into a psych-inflected indie pop outfit marked by lo-fi textures and a committed D.I.Y. approach. A succession of self-released singles and EPs led to their debut full-length, III, in 2013; its buoyant lo-fi cut “American Spirits” later accumulated millions of streams across major platforms. The exploratory Sun Transmissions arrived the following year while the band strengthened its reputation through live performances. Early 2017 preview tracks preceded the August arrival of their third album, Underwater Pipe Dreams—an hour-long, 18-track experimental work—followed in 2018 by the similarly styled companion EP Underwater +. In 2019 Inner Wave issued the warped yet upbeat EP wya along with the concert recording Live at the Fonda, Los Angeles, 2019. A fourth studio album finally appeared in 2021 with Apoptosis, another wide-ranging and refined collection that was partially captured live in the studio before singer-guitarist Pablo Sotelo finished it during quarantine.