On their debut album, Sha La La, LA’s @winnetkabowlingleague - guitarist and vocalist Matthew Koma, his brother Kris Mazzarisi on drums, and keyboardist Sam Beresford-make energetic and emotional power-pop songs about the good times that never last.
While frontman Koma’s childhood was spent listening to Elvis Costello and Squeeze and growing up in the East Coast hardcore and punk scenes, most of his adult life had him writing songs for electronic musicians and pop stars. Yet still drawn to the rock music of his youth, in 2018 he started Winnetka Bowling League giving him the freedom to explore what he truly loved about music.
The band’s 2018 self-titled debut EP kickstarted a prolific streak of singles and EPs through 2022 that included the viral songs “On the 5,” “CVS,” and “Slow Dances.” 2024’s debut album, Sha La La, is a document of an artist rediscovering what he loves about music: a back-to-basics and grounded release that finds Koma taking risks while being in conversation with his younger self.
“With this record, it wound up being a lot of looking back and a lot of trying to understand the twenty-something version of myself: what he was feeling and why he was feeling that way,” says Koma. “Being in a much different place in life now, I think I finally have a little perspective to be able to see it for what it was.”
For Winnetka Bowling League, there’s power in this realization. Sure, the years pass faster the older you get but there’s a galvanizing joy in remembering and reclaiming both the good and the grit of youth. “Your 30s are a weird time reckoning your 20s,” says Koma. “In these tunes, I hope that people feel like they're revisiting versions of themselves when they hear it because that's what it felt like to me writing it.
@tylerdial For singer-songwriter Tyler Dial, left of center is how he has always felt – growing up in Arizona, but wearing “faded Chuck Taylors” instead of boots, loving The Eagles and The Rolling Stones. Tyler had been raised on music, with his father a concert promoter. Tyler learned to play his dad’s guitar strumming along to “Tequila Sunrise” and “Wild Horses,” as well as the hits he heard on country radio. If his initial releases can seem almost like baby pictures now, Tyler’s new music sets the table for his maturation as an artist, one who is finding his way in music while remaining true to his Southwestern roots and individual, introspective outlook. The new record even features a track called “Left of Center,” with the tune-rich, revealing chorus of “You can call me left of center/But last time I checked/That’s right where the heart is.”
Reflecting on his artistic evolution, Tyler says: “After just a few years in this business, I’ve realized that the best way to set yourself apart in music is by being your true, authentic self. I know that I’ve always gravitated toward musicians who are personal and bold, with an attitude that’s a bit edgier. That’s the kind of music that I want to make. I’ve grown more sure of who I am as an artist, which has made me freer in my writing. I’m not worrying about filling any previous molds. I’ve aimed for my new music to be more organic, more in keeping with the sound and spirit of my influences – and who I am.”
By the time Tyler finished college, his ideas about the broader possibilities for music had been further stoked by the examples of such figures as Kacey Musgraves and Maren Morris. He wrote songs while working at an East Nashville bar and on a pontoon boat/party barge. One new song, “Electric West,” became a kind of “north star” as he explored the yin and yang of his new-era vision: night and day, acoustic and electric, traditional and progr
Francis of Delirium, who released their 3-part EP trilogy between 2020 and 2022, is returning with a new Catherine Marks (boygenius, Manchester Orchestra, The Killers) produced song, “Real Love,” today. Following a busy year of touring with the likes of Soccer Mommy, Briston Maroney, Horsegirl, The Districts and hitting Treefort Fest, Shaky Knees, Eurosonic, Iceland Airwaves, as well as opening for The 1975 and Wolf Alice, the young Luxembourgish band is back with a new sound. “Real Love” hints at the songwriting direction of 21 year old Jana Bahrich, who is eschewing the lyrical darkness of the grunge-indebted songs on the first three Francis of Delirium EPs to embrace a softer, more open, hopeful, and vulnerable sonic palette.
Since first emerging in early-2020 with the anthemic ‘Quit F**king Around’, Jana has given voice to the angst and despair that plagues a generation who faces an uncertain present and future. Looking for a way through the bleak realities plaguing Gen Z, Francis of Delirium’s new song pulls on influences from Sheryl Crow, Jeff Buckley, and Joni Mitchell, underpinned by Bahrich’s love of Pearl Jam, Car Seat Headrest, and The Smashing Pumpkins. The Luxembourg-based artist’s music has traveled far beyond its place of origin and has seen praise from Stereogum, The FADER, Paste, Pitchfork, The Line of Best Fit, Clash, BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 1, KEXP and NPR, to name but a few.
Speaking about “Real Love”, Jana says: “‘Real Love’ at its heart is a simple song about being in love with your best friend. For years, timing got in the way. I got in my own way, and then finally, it worked out. Coming out of a two-month-long tour in the US and heading into summer back at home, it felt like my world was opening up. I wanted to write a song that reflected the feeling of leaning into vulnerability, a song that embraces telling the people you love what they mean to you and truly meaning it. Spending every night watching
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