Tag: Draag Dark Fire Heresy

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Draag Shares Woozily Meditative “NSPS”

With the release of their full-length debut, 2023’s Dark Fire Heresy and last year’s Actually, the quiet is nice EP, Los Angeles-based shoegazers and JOVM mainstays Draag — Adrian Acosta (vocals, guitar), Jessica Huang (vocals, synths), Ray Montes (guitar), Nick Kelley (bass) and Nathan Najera (drums) — received attention nationally and elsewhere for boldly pushing the boundaries of shoegaze into new, wild directions. And adding to a growing profile, the JOVM mainstay outfit have toured with Wednesday, MSPAINT, Glitterer and They Are Gutting A Body Of Water.

Building upon growing momentum, the Los Angeles-based JOVM mainstays will start the new year with the Miracle Drug EP, which is slated for a January 23, 2026 through Oakland-based tastemaker label, Smoking Room. 

The EP will feature the previously released, EP title track “Miracle Drug,” a mind-bending blend of shoegaze, post-punk and nu-metal, and the EP’s second single “NSPS.” “NSPS” is meditative slow-burn, anchored around a woozy and lived-in sense of nostalgia, shame and heartache, from the perspective of a narrator, who has lived a messy life and attained a difficult, hard-won peace and constantly encounters elements of their past — in their present.

“I wrote NSPS on my 10 year sobriety anniversary. I’ve come very far in my sobriety journey and don’t struggle as much as I used to. Sometimes I miss my drunken days, but without needing to go back. On my 10 year sobrieversary, I spent a lot of time reflecting on past relationships and saw how many were taking advantage of me,” Draag’s Adrian Costa explains. “I remember the person I was back then, and I wanted approval so bad, even if it meant being abused by so called friends and partners. When I drive through the valley (818), I often drive through specific locations and landmarks in my life where abysmal and ridiculous events occurred during my drinking days. I still love this place and it’s still my place of comfort.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: JOVM Mainstays Draag Shares Genre-Bending “Miracle Drug”

With the release of their full-length debut, 2023’s Dark Fire Heresy and last year’s Actually, the quiet is nice EP, Los Angeles-based shoegazers and JOVM mainstays Draag — Adrian Acosta (vocals, guitar), Jessica Huang (vocals, synths), Ray Montes (guitar), Nick Kelley (bass) and Nathan Najera (drums) — received nationally and elsewhere for boldly pushing the boundaries of shoegaze into new, wild directions. And adding to a growing profile, the JOVM mainstay outfit have toured with Wednesday, MSPAINT, Glitterer and are about to wrap up a run of dates with They Are Gutting A Body Of Water.

Building upon growing momentum, the Los Angeles-based JOVM mainstays will start the new year with the Miracle Drug EP, which is slated for a January 23, 2026 through Oakland-based tastemaker label, Smoking Room.

The EP’s first single, EP title track “Miracle Drug” is a mind-bending blend of shoegaze, post-punk and nu-metal that evokes the inner turmoil of someone, who’s suffering from something that they know others can’t see — or even really understand. But in the song’s dreamier moments, there’s a sense of awe and appreciation over the small things.

“Living with an autoimmune condition is an invisible daily fight. Some days you want a miracle drug to escape what feels like a prison in your body,” Draag’s Adrian Acosta says about the new single. “But you don’t take your health for granted. And you learn how to appreciate life and super simple moments deeply. I feel like it’s given me a sharp vision of what really matters.”

The accompanying video is heavily inspired by the aesthetic and feel 80s and 90s Public Access TV including footage of local performers in a shitty studio, the band performing the song in a studio, home footage of young kids in their first band, as well as a lengthy call-in segment with calls from deranged viewers.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Draag Shares Ominous “Microgravity tank”

Los Angeles-based musician Adrian Acosta was trained as a mariachi singer by his father, an established norteño musician, but after finding his older brother’s electric guitar, Acosta quickly got into indie rock and shoegaze. Growing up in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, there wasn’t much for kids to do; but Acosta got involved in the local DIY punk scene as a preteen. Backyard shows happened every weekend by word-of-mouth and through flyers handed out at school — with some shows ending in drive-by shootings from rival gangs. 

As a 10 year-old, Acosta recorded songs on a karaoke tape deck. Shortly after, he purposely used warped tapes and dissonant sounds without understanding what he loved about it, but upon discovering acts like My Bloody Valentine, Boards of Canada, and Throbbing Gristle, he began to realize that he wasn’t the only one. 

Acota initially started the rising shoegazer outfit Draag nas a solo recording project but after meeting Ray Montes (guitar), Nick Kelley (bass) and Eric Fabbro (drums) through their many years in the local music community, the band began to coalesce as the full realization of what Acosta had always dreamt of creating while connecting with like-minded artists, who were also deeply involved in the local scene.  

Jessica Huang (synth, vocals) joined the band after replying to a Craigslist ad, completing the band’s lineup. Huang’s background was different than her four bandmates: Huang is classically trained in piano, and she played the alto sax in marching bands. And instead of hanging out at backyard shows, she spent her free time on Tumblr. The band initially set about reviving songs from a karaoke tape deck that Acosta recorded when he was 10. They quickly became a buzz-worthy local act, playing shows with Wednesday, Reggie Watts, Mint Field and a lengthy list of others. Then the Los Angeles-based shoegazers released two critically applauded EPs, 2018’s Nontoxic Process and 2020’s Clara Luz and last year’s full-length debut Dark Fire Heresy. 

Slated for a May 17, 2024 release though They Are Gutting A Body of Water’s label Julia’s War Recordings, Actually, the quiet is nice is the follow-up to Dark Fire Heresy while marking the first release through their new label home. The EP reportedly explores the liminal space between albums and the far reaching corners of the band’s sound. Inspired by TikTok slides of anonymous Flickr uploads of someone’s friends, neighborhoods on a summer day, their bedroom and the like, the EP’s material delves into an obsession with a particular feeling in childhood, while knowing that you could be back. but no one would be home. The EP is also informed by the experience of growing up with immigrant parents in the suburbs in the 90s. 

Last month, I wrote about the EP’s first single “Orb Weaver,” a nostalgia-inducing track that brought back memories of 120 Minutes MTV-era alt rock and warm, carefree summer days without much to really do besides bullshit, get high and listen to your favorite tunes. The song’s warped and densely textured guitars provide a laconic and buzzing backdrop for Haung and Acosta’s dreamily yearning harmonies. 

“Jess and I go on night walks in our neighborhood often, probably because there’s no one around and we are obsessed with the eerie nostalgic quality of empty neighborhoods,” Draag’s Acosta explains. “One summer, it was very hard to walk without running into a big orb weaver web. I have a severe fear of spiders. I used the night walks as a form of therapy but it got me in a fearful state instead and dwelling on dark thoughts.”

Actually, the quiet is nice‘s second and latest single “Microgravity tank” is a brooding and ominous track anchored around detuned and buzzing guitars, bursts of twinkling keys, a laconic groove paired with Acosta and Huang’s eerily spectral harmonies. “Microgravity tank” evokes a lingering sense of dread, and the acknowledgement of getting older.

“I used to live in a house that had this very unusual energy,” Draag’s Adrian Acosta explains. “It’s the kind of energy I could only connect to that specific house. It was quite haunting. Every few months or so, I’ll have a Deja vu moment that brings me back to that house. When it fades, all I can think about is how my better years are behind me.” 

The accompanying visualizer is unsettling, surreal and hypnotic, as it features a person wearing a Dora the Explorer costume playing in a playground. The band’s Jessica Huang is Dora’s caretaker/babysitter or something.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Draag Shares Buzzing and Nostalgia-Inducing “Orb weaver”

Los Angeles-based musician Adrian Acosta was trained as a mariachi singer by his father, an established norteño musician, but after finding his older brother’s electric guitar, Acosta quickly got into indie rock and shoegaze. Growing up in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, there wasn’t much for kids to do; but Acosta got involved in the local DIY punk scene as a preteen. Backyard shows happened every weekend by word-of-mouth and through flyers handed out at school — with some shows ending in drive-by shootings from rival gangs.

As a 10 year-old, Acosta recorded songs on a karaoke tape deck. Shortly after, he purposely used warped tapes and dissonant sounds without understanding what he loved about it, but upon discovering acts like My Bloody Valentine, Boards of Canada, and Throbbing Gristle, he began to realize that he wasn’t the only one.

Acota initially started the rising shoegazer outfit Draag nas a solo recording project but after meeting Ray Montes (guitar), Nick Kelley (bass) and Eric Fabbro (drums) through their many years in the local music community, the band began to coalesce as the full realization of what Acosta had always dreamt of creating while connecting with like-minded artists, who were also deeply involved in the local scene.  

Jessica Huang (synth, vocals) joined the band after replying to a Craigslist ad, completing the band’s lineup. Huang’s background was different than her four bandmates: Huang is classically trained in piano, and she played the alto sax in marching bands. And instead of hanging out at backyard shows, she spent her free time on Tumblr. The band iinitially set about reviving songs from a karaoke tape deck that Acosta recorded when he was 10. They quickly became a buzz-worthy local act, playing shows with Wednesday, Reggie Watts, Mint Field and a lengthy list of others. Then the Los Angeles-based shoegazers released two critically applauded EPs, 2018’s Nontoxic Process and 2020’s Clara Luz and last year’s full-length debut Dark Fire Heresy.

Slated for a May 17, 2024 release though They Are Gutting A Body of Water’s label Julia’s War Recordings, Actually, the quiet is nice is the follow-up to Dark Fire Heresy while marking the first release through their new label home. The EP reportedly explores the liminal space between albums and the far reaching corners of the band’s sound. Inspired by TikTok slides of anonymous Flickr uploads of someone’s friends, neighborhoods on a summer day, their bedroom and the like, the EP’s material delves into an obsession with a particular feeling in childhood, while knowing that you could be back. but no one would be home. The EP is also informed by the experience of growing up with immigrant parents in the suburbs in the 90s.

Actually, the quiet is nice‘s first single “Orb Weaver” is a nostalgia-inducing track that brings back memories of 120 Minutes MTV-era alt rock and warm, carefree summer days without much to really do besides bullshit, get high and listen to your favorite tunes. The song’s warped and densely textured guitars provide a laconic and buzzing backdrop for Haung and Acosta’s dreamily yearning harmonies.

“Jess and I go on night walks in our neighborhood often, probably because there’s no one around and we are obsessed with the eerie nostalgic quality of empty neighborhoods,” Draag’s Acosta explains. “One summer, it was very hard to walk without running into a big orb weaver web. I have a severe fear of spiders. I used the night walks as a form of therapy but it got me in a fearful state instead and dwelling on dark thoughts.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Draag Shares Dreamy “Good Era Doom”

Los Angeles-based musician Adrian Acosta was trained as a mariachi singer by his father, an established noreeńo musician, but after finding his older brother’s electric guitar, wound up getting into indie rock and shoegaze. He started the rising electro shoegaze outfit Draag as a solo recording project, but the project expanded into a full-fledged band when he brought together local musicians from the disparate musical worlds of underground punk, experimental jazz, no wave and classical to flesh out the project’s sound.  

The band — Acosta along with Jessica Huang, Ray Montes, Nick Kelley and Eric Fabbro —initially set about reviving songs from a karaoke tape deck that Acosta recorded when he was 10. They quickly became a buzz-worthy local act, playing shows with Wednesday, Reggie Watts, Mint Field and a lengthy list of others. Then the Los Angeles-based shoegazers released two critically applauded EPs, 2018’s Nontoxic Process and 2020’s Clara Luz. 

Draag’s full-length debut, Dark Fire Heresy is slated for a Friday release. Featuring arrangements built around Nintendo-era synths, lush guitars and warped tape samples played in reverse, the album thematically is reportedly a cathartic portrayal and release of religious trauma informed by Haung’s experience of using therapy to process her upbringing in a religious cult. Some songs act as vessels of healing and forgiveness and others became a revenge fantasy. Ultimately, the album holds space for a deeply familiar sentiment — the things you could have said, done or knew, while acknowledging a bittersweet nostalgia. 

Built around dense layers of scorching guitar fuzz paired with relentless, staccato thrash punk-styled drumming paired with ethereal vocal harmonies mosh pit friendly hooks and tape hiss “Demonbird” saw the Los Angeles-based shoegazers adding their name to a growing list of acts boldly pushing the genre’s sonic boundaries as far as humanly possible — while ripping extremely hard. 

Dark Fire Heresy‘s latest pre-release single “Good Era Doom” may arguably be the most 120 Minutes MTV-era like song on the entire album. Built around rapid-fire and propulsive drumming, jangling guitars dipped in gentle reverb paired with a dreamy melody and a soaring hook, “Good Era Doom” brings Souvlaki-era Slowdive and others to mind, but with a clean, modern production sheen and a weary sense of heartache.

Shot by Goon’s Kenny Becker, the accompanying video focuses on shadows on walls and windows, reflections of shiny surfaces and the like. “The video is through the lens of myself as an odd child who would obsess over liminal spaces, shadows on the walls and windows, imagining things coming to life that adults don’t register,” Draag’s Adrian Acosta explains.