Levitation Room

Initially formed by a group of friends drawn together by their shared enthusiasm for 1960s garage rock infused with psychedelic elements, Levitation Room set out to replicate the sonic textures of both that era and the 1970s. Their first album, Ethos, arrived as a precise, lo-fi tribute to garage psych, driven by fuzz-pedal textures. By the release of their follow-up, Headspace in 2019, the band had broadened its approach to include denser guitar tones, gentler melodic lines, R&B-inflected grooves, and richer production layers. Their third album, Strange Weather from 2024, marked another pivot, folding in prominent strains of 1970s soft rock alongside their established garage and psychedelic foundations.

The Los Angeles, California-based outfit began in 2012 when longtime friends Julian Porte and Gabriel Fernandez, who had previously played together in the punk band the Hits, decided to start fresh. After the earlier group dissolved, Porte explored folk music before seeking collaborators again; a social-media posting led Fernandez to reply quickly. Their common interest in psychedelic garage rock prompted the creation of Levitation Room, with Porte taking lead vocals and guitar while Fernandez handled lead guitar and backing vocals. Porte met drummer Johnathan Martin after borrowing a harmonica from him at a party, and bassist Jonathan Thiemens, who also sang, completed the initial roster. Following local performances and support from Lollipop Records, the band issued its debut demo independently in March 2013, later reissued by the label. Their first formal EP, Minds of Our Own, came out on cassette in January 2015 before achieving wider digital distribution. At this stage the group maintained a steady presence in Los Angeles clubs, toured the West Coast, and operated Everydaze Music, a combined record store, vintage clothing shop, rehearsal room, and headquarters. Ethos was produced by Glenn Brigman of Triptides and appeared in early 2016, evoking the atmosphere of either 1967 or the 1985 peak of the garage-rock revival.

Brigman returned as producer and also joined on keyboards for the next album, which featured bassist Chris Mercado. The band moved beyond strict garage-psych reverence to blend in soul, R&B, and harder-rock dynamics, resulting in Headspace on Greenway Records in October 2019. In 2021 bassist Kevin Perez joined, and the group continued touring alongside Post Animal and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. For Strange Weather the members incorporated relaxed 1970s soft-rock touches while retaining their core influences, working with producer and multi-instrumentalist Jason Kick, known for his work with Mild High Club, plus keyboardists Rob Campanella of the Brian Jonestown Massacre and Joel Robinow of the Black Crowes; the album emerged in February 2024.