Cate Le Bon needed a break. After a decade of making music and four albums to her name—including two with Tim Presley as Drinks—the Welsh musician had come to a moment of reckoning. What was she doing and was she happy doing it? She performs on Fri., July 5, at Pappy and Harriet's—get tickets here—and for free on Sat., July 6, at the Getty Center—more info here. This interview by Daiana Feuer. ►

Jackhammering, jackhammering, jackhammering: Chinatown, which borders cranes-in-the-sky booming downtown L.A., is lousy with construction. The tempestuous Mimi Temptestt grew up in this neighborhood. Her album Rough Diamond demarcates a two-year period of growth, thrills, sadness and love. Rough Diamond dropped earlier this year, and she's releasing the first video from that project at The Lash on Tues., June 18, at I Do What I Want, a queer art extravaganza. This interview by Tolliver. ►

Bay Area band Culture Abuse released their sophomore full-length Bay Dream last June on Los Angeles-based Epitaph Records. It’s more rhythmic and upbeat and deliberately strays from the band’s hardcore roots, but it’s somehow more punk than ever before. That’s thanks to writer and frontman David Kelling’s commitment and belief that the band can write how and whatever they choose to and the result will always be genuine. I spoke with Kelling about California, life on the road, and living with cerebral palsy. They perform on Fri., June 7, at the Teragram Ballroom with the excellent Tony Molina—get tickets here. This interview by Bennett Kogon. ►

In the blink of an eye, songwriter Sasami Ashworth has become L.A.’s newest hometown hero. Formerly the ‘synth queen’ in homegrown indie stars Cherry Glazerr, this classically-trained French horn-playing collaborator with many is now at the forefront of her very own solo endeavor, the appropriately-titled SASAMI. Written and arranged while on tour, Sasami’s heartfelt and infectiously catchy self-titled debut was released on powerhouse label Domino in March. Just moments before taking off on her European tour, Sasami caught a moment to discuss going solo, recording on the road, and her upcoming children’s album. She performs on Sat., May 18, at Off The 405 at the Getty Center. This interview by Bennett Kogon. ►

Dreams reflect and refract real-life. They are visions that can drive us while we’re wide awake, even when we’re charmed by things—art, environments, people—that we know are impossible fantasies. And when we’re dreaming, those bewildering distortions of time, space and plot can be as attractive as those heart-piercing moments where everything perfectly resolve. Matt Koenig, the songwriter-producer behind the Undercover Dream Lovers, makes these dichotomies into music, and the lustrous get-down grooves and deliberate lyrical ambiguity is exactly what you’d expect from an indie act with such a fantastical name. The Undercover Dream Lovers play Thurs., May 9, at the Regent Theater—get tickets here! This interview by Sydney Sweeney. ►