La Luz is getting set to release their Floating Features LP on May 11th via Hardly Art Records. The band, which includes singer/guitarist Shana Cleveland, drummer Marian Li Pino, keyboardist Alice Sandahl, and bassist Lena Simon, relocated from their hometown of Seattle to the sunnier climes of Los Angeles before starting to record their upcoming album. Maybe the group’s penchant for surf music pre-saged this move years ago, but on “California Finally” you can hear the band is thrilled with their new locale. More than a paean to their adopted home, though, I think this song is really about having the courage to leave home. While Cleveland’s thrilling assertion throughout the song, “I do what I want to do” sounds like a powerful statement of ownership, we wonder if she doth protest too much. There’s a struggle at the core of this track that only becomes evident with time, as when the singer reveals, “No one’s gonna tell me where I can go.” Against that backdrop, “I do what I want to do” begins to sound like the fierce protest of someone staking out their own emotional ground.
La Luz will be busy at SXSW next week. You can keep up with their hectic schedule, as well as their upcoming US tour, with a list of the band’s tour dates after Soundcloud embed below…
La Luz SXSW Schedule
03.13.18 Austin, TX She Shreds Showcase, Kinda Tropical, 6:40 PM
03.14.18 Austin, TX Panache Bruise Cruise, 3:30 PM
03.14.18 Austin, TX Electric Church, 6:30 PM
03.15.18 Austin, TX SXSJ, Hotel San Jose, 4:00 PM
03.15.18 Austin, TX Levitation Showcase, Hotel Vegas, 6:30 PM
03.16.18 Austin, TX Volcom X Showcase, Volcom Garden, 5:20 PM
03.16.18 Austin, TX Panache Official SXSW Showcase, Hotel Vegas, 12:20 AM
03.17.18 Austin, TX Burgermania VII, Hotel Vegas, 4:15 PM
La Luz US Tour 2018
03.18.18 – Dallas, TX – Not So Fun Wknd
03.20.18 – Tucson, AZ – 191 Toole
04.26.18 – Austin, TX – Levitation Festival
05.11.18 – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop $
05.12.18 – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop $
05.13.18 – Arcata, CA – The Miniplex $
05.14.18 – Eugene, OR – Wow Hall $
05.16.18 – Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret $
05.17.18 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile $ *
05.18.18 – Seattle, WA – The Vera Project $ * &
05.19.18 – Portland, OR – The Aladdin Theater *
05.22.18 – Boise, ID – The Olympic *
05.23.18 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court *
05.24.18 – Ft. Collins, CO – Hodis Half Note *
05.25.18 – Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge *
05.28.18 – Omaha, NE – O’Leavers !
05.30.18 – St. Louis, MO – The Ready Room !
05.31.18 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean ^
06.02.18 – Grand Rapids, MI – Pyramid Scheme ^
06.03.18 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern ^
06.04.18 – Montreal, QC – L’Esco ^
06.05.18 – Portland, ME – SPACE Gallery ^
06.06.18 – Boston, MA – Once Ballroom ^
06.08.18 – New York, NY – Public Arts ^
06.09.18 – Brooklyn, NY – Northside Festival at Babys All Right &
06.10.18 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts Black Box %
06.11.18 – Washington, D.C. – Songbyrd %
06.12.18 – Raleigh, NC – The Pinhook %
06.13.18 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl %
06.14.18 – Jacksonville, FL – Root %
06.15.18 – New Orleans, LA – Santos
06.19.18 – San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger #
06.20.18 – El Paso, TX – Monarch #
06.21.18 – Tucson, AZ – Club Congress #
06.22.10 – Los Angeles, CA – Teregram Ballroom #
& – All-Ages
$ – w/ Ancient Forest
* – w/ Savila
! – w/ The Whiffs
^ – w/ Gymshorts
% – w/ Timothy Eerie
# – w/ Summer Twins
