We may be creeping toward the first day of summer, but that doesn’t mean that June gloom isn’t making its presence felt. So why not lean into those early morning clouds with some lazy, hazy vibes from a stack of California artists.

First up are Bren Eissman and Joey Spurgeon of DWLLRS, a California’s indie beach pop duo whose latest drops courtesy of Boom.Records. Says the group of the melodic track’s origin:  “‘Blue Spirits’ is about growing up and going through heartbreak. We all fade away eventually. We keep holding all these memories tight because they’re a big part of making us who we are. This song feels like I’m driving home from a breakup and realizing I’m free to do whatever I want again. If you’re down bad, this one’s for you.”

Next up is “Time Machine,” the latest from LA indie darling Cuco, whose forthcoming sophomore album, Fantasy Gateway, is set for a July 22 release. “Time Machine” is a psychedelic ballad about wishing to go back in time and change how a relationship was handled. Cuco shares, “When I wrote the song, I was sitting in my bed recording an audio message in a vulnerable space at a low point in my life. I took that and brought it into a world of hyperrealism and space-time travel.”

After two tracks about heartache perhaps it’s time to lighten things up a bit? Not quite. After all, you were warned with the title. Sharon Silva, former lead singer of The Wild Reeds, drops her second single, “Scorekeeper,” which she’ll no doubt be playing out on the road during her June tour, which kicked off this past weekend in Davenport, Iowa. Says Silva of the track, “I wrote ‘Scorekeeper’ on a walk through my neighborhood, thinking about how to take responsibility for my own emotions. It’s not easy to explain how you feel when you’re overstimulated, and I think this song helped me scratch the surface of how to take a beat, on my own, and organize my thoughts.”

Our next artist, Joel Jerome, released his latest full-length, Super Flower Blood Moon, on May 13 via Dangerbird Records, and “Nobody Like You” instantly became a favorite. With inspiration spanning from the Mexican pop music his parents played throughout his childhood to the timeless melodies of the Beach Boys, the album is an intimate homage to his upbringing. Throughout the pandemic, the collaborative influence of Dangerbird A&R director Jim Fairchild led Jerome to step away from his studio gear and take a simpler approach to songwriting, where he relied solely on his phone’s voice recorder and a basic four-track app. “Nobody Like You” distills that simple, melancholic approach into a perfect ballad.

Last up is San Francisco singer/songwriter Josiah Johnson, who wrote his latest single, “Warm,” in the wake of a breakup. Moody yet hopeful, the track was co-produced with Scott McDowell and M’Gilvry Allen, and is hopefully the first in a batch of new material set to come from Johnson, whose last full-length, Every Feeling On A Loop, was released back in 2020. The singer/songwriter is currently on tour on the West Coast. Check out show dates and grab tickets here.

Want to add a little more California to your life? Jump over to Spotify and smash the follow button on our “Stay Golden” playlist. Every week we add new tracks by established and up-and-coming musicians from the Golden State. Enjoy!

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