There’s more to Coachella, CA, than just an overhyped festival — it’s also home to indie post punk band ISRAEL’S ARCADE. Their debut record Live Your Fantasy came out in December 2023 — get it here — and I’m way behind because here I am 7 months later just hearing them for the first time. I hear a myriad of influences in their sound: punk spirit, country twang, indie sleeze, rock swagger, post-punk ache. It all comes together perfectly to create songs that make my chest swell with thrill and my body shake with joy. When the synths kick in on “Devour” I’m thrown headlong into a darkwave dream that takes a hardcore punk turn halfway through, and when the beat hits on “La Tipica” I’m flying down a dusty desert road. Israel’s Arcade has more than enough to keep me riveted to this album for days on end, and I’m stoked to hear more from them. Keep an eye out for their new single coming on 7/19, “She made eyes at me,” and catch them live on 7/21 at The Glass House in Pomona, and in August across the southwest — dates below.
