Transviolet

The California quartet Transviolet crafts sleek electronic pop reminiscent of Sia and Lana Del Rey, fronted by the nimble singer Sarah McTaggart. Their seductive debut single, "Girls Your Age," went viral in 2015, prompting a deal with Epic that prompted a reissue of their self-titled opening EP. The group later moved to Buskin Records (Warner) for the full-length Born to Rule, which arrived in 2020, while earlier issuing joint tracks with Tim Legend, the Griswolds, and Great Good Fine Ok. Their sophomore effort, the independently released Drugs in California, surfaced in 2022 and included prior partner Reo Cragun among its guests.

Sarah McTaggart, Judah McCarthy, Michael Panek, and drummer-producer Jon Garcia first connected online before convening in San Diego to solidify the lineup. "Girls Your Age" generated substantial attention across social and streaming platforms during the latter half of 2015 and received a Twin Shadow remix, while the track "New Bohemia"—soon to gain wide notice through placement in a major tech advertisement—joined it on the September 2015 EP Transviolet. National television exposure arrived via a 2016 appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, alongside a tour with LANY and an Epic Records contract that triggered a swift re-release of the debut EP; the same year brought a number two ranking on Billboard’s Next Big Sound chart.

Kaleidoscopes, their follow-up EP, emerged in 2017 and spotlighted rapper Reo Cragun on the title cut, while Transviolet themselves appeared on trap producer Tim Legend’s “Telescope.” After leaving Epic, they placed the third EP, Valley, with Buskin Records under Warner distribution in 2018. Additional 2019 singles paired them with the Swoons on “Lost Frequency,” Great Good Fine Ok on “Gone,” and the Griswolds on “Aliens.” Buskin then issued the band’s first full-length, Born to Rule, in January 2020, and later that year Transviolet collaborated with electronic acts Taao Kross and Sleeping Lion. The self-released Drugs in California arrived in early 2022, opening with the single “Blue Flowers” that featured Cragun, Dreamers, and Little Hurt.