There are a lot of bands referencing the past, and that’s a little disturbing to me. I love Deerhunter and Serena-Maneesh, I think they’re great. They strike me as sort of what Medicine was trying to be, this ideal teen makeout music. I think of Roxy Music’s Avalon – was that a precursor to shoegaze because it’s a great makeout album? Maybe!

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Once upon time, codeine cough syrup sold over the counter, Quaaludes on the black market. Kids like me stared at our bedroom ceilings with “Cherub Rock” on the tape deck to match the apocalyptic grandeur of our emotions. Psychedelic pop met industrial noise and gave us the romantic nihilism of Loveless. Rick Rubin’s American Recordings hosted Sir Mix-a-Lot, but also JAMC, Skinny Puppy, Pram and Love and Rockets – and those most American of dark dreamers, LA’s own Medicine.

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