Los Angeles outfit Winnetka Bowling League draws its atmosphere from bright coastal horizons instead of the roller-rink surfaces suggested by its title. Fronted by singer, songwriter, and producer Matthew Koma, the group blends reverb-drenched sunshine pop and hip-hop textures into modern pop frameworks. After inking a deal with RCA, the act issued its self-titled debut EP in 2018. Across the following half-decade it kept up a consistent flow of recordings, among them the 2020 streaming success “Slow Dances” plus the EPs Congratulations (2020) and Pulp; the 2024 single “Sha La La” marked the initial preview of a forthcoming full-length album.
Prior to forming Winnetka Bowling League, Koma had already put out two solo EPs on Interscope—Parachute EP in 2012 and The Cherrytree Sessions in 2013—and appeared on EDM tracks such as Zedd’s “Spectrum” (2012) and Tiësto’s “Wasted” (2014). He had also written and produced material for Carly Rae Jepsen, Shania Twain, 5 Seconds of Summer, and Hilary Duff. Once Winnetka Bowling League launched in 2018, Koma secured the RCA contract and delivered the band’s first single, “On the 5,” that same August. The self-titled EP followed in October 2018, with Cloudy With a Chance of Sun arriving a year afterward and spotlighting the airy standout track “Slow Dances.” Early lineups shifted before settling around core members Kris Mazzarisi on drums and Sam Beresford on keyboards.
Moving into the 2020s, the project stayed focused on concise releases, gaining listeners through tracks such as “CVS” from the Congratulations EP and teaming with Demi Lovato for “FIIMY, Fuck it I Miss You,” which appeared on the Pulp EP in 2021. Activity tapered for a couple of years as work shifted toward the first album; that project’s opening signal arrived in early 2024 with “Sha La La.”
