Pop and impermanence: New interviews with Anna Hillburg and Mild Universe
See our weekly show recs + new reviews of psychedelic shoegaze by Pink Breath of Heaven, rifftastic rock by Milk for the Angry, and ambient sax magic by Cole Pulice
One week left until Total Accord, an epic four-day concert series co-hosted by White Crate as a celebration of Bay Area music! With dozens of amazing performers, take this opportunity to get to know local artists:
Anna Hillburg is a classically-trained trumpeter and wildly creative singer-songwriter who has contributed to acts such as Shannon and the Clams and The Dodos. As a solo artist, Hillburg is following up the country-tinged chamber pop of her last album with an 80s-inspired dance pop EP. Read the interview →
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Mild Universe is an SF-based indie dance collective fusing 90s house influence with disco, soul, and post-punk into an eclectic live performance that’s impossible to resist. Percussionist and songwriter Sam Jones crafts catchy songs with a dancefloor twist, complemented by seemingly effortless, soulful vocals. Read the interview →
— White Crate
A SINGULAR VOICE IN SHOEGAZE
“We hope these songs invite you to dance, to feel, and to reconnect with the simple joy of being alive.”
You don’t need to be a synesthete to appreciate the interconnected nature of all things, and you definitely don’t need to taste light or see music to fall in love with Colors Make a Sound, the impressive debut album by Pink Breath of Heaven. Made up of Liv Field, Rex John Shelverton, and Mario Cataruzolo, the band carves out a spot somewhere between the energetic, drum-driven psych rock of Stereolab and the ethereal fuzzed out shoegaze of Cocteau Twins.
Shelverton is quite experienced in experimenting within this fertile, storied landscape, thanks to his previous work with Tamaryn and Bellavista. But we expect that many newcomers to Pink Breath of Heaven will most immediately connect with the soaring, smoky vocals of Liv Field. After all, it’s one thing to assemble the right guitars and studio techniques to produce shoegaze, but there’s no reproducing the singular quality of a voice that rises, falls, and shimmers through the music with ease.
Out now on Portland’s Little Cloud Records.
See Pink Breath of Heaven this Saturday, May 17 at Civic Center Plaza playing a free show alongside Son Rompe Pera, Fake Fruit, Marina Fages, Pure Hex, Juicebumps, Pork Belly, Cosmic Kitten, Buzzed Lightbeer, La Sombra, and Pink Stiletto as part of Tenderloin Fest 2025.
— Ronny Kerr
BIG BUOYANT RIFFS
For years, Milk for the Angry have made vaguely hazy psychedelia strained through a garage-punk filter. But the jagged guitars have slowly been stripped back over the years, leading to their most recent record, the buoyant Powder Trails on Fire. This one’s a slight pivot from the swirly-whirly sounds of previous years – but that’s not a bad thing. There’s still plenty of hallmarks of the genre, like high harmonies and studio trickery, but Powder Trails leans harder into the “rock” part of “psychedelic rock.”
It’s a little more consistently melodic and upbeat than previous works, indulging in more big chords and heavy riffs – the first time I fired up single “Yeah, Yeah Okay” it was an immediate bob-my-head-along-at-my-home-office-desk situation, and the chorus of “Super-Fi” is begging to be sung back at them from an audience. With this turn toward tunefulness, the whole album makes a great opener to summer.
— Jody Amable
AMBIENT SAX MAGIC
"Are we still in San Francisco?" a visiting relative recently asked me as we reached the western end of our hike through Land's End. It's a good question.
One could consider Land's End Eternal, the latest full-length from saxophonist and composer Cole Pulice, to be asking the same question. Mixed and mastered by Oakland producer Chuck Johnson and perfectly at home on LA's all-genre-loving label Leaving Records, the new work is named after one of SF's natural treasures, yet it masterfully expands outside of simple boundaries of place or time through its free jazz, cinematic soundscape conjurings. It reaches its climax in the final track "After the Rain," a nine-minute epic featuring the wordless, spiritual intonation of fellow local artist Maria BC.
Whether heard amid furry and feathered earthlings at the roots of sprawling trees or under the roof of a friendly, antifascist arts center in the heart of the city, the ambient sax sounds of Cole Pulice embody the very thing they seek to explore: "the notion of a bridge between worlds."
— Ronny Kerr
SHOW RECS
Our top show recommendations for the coming week:
[rock] Garras Sucias, Collisionville (record release), Silver Fuzz — May 15 at Ivy Room
[rock] Dark Satellite, CuVa Bimö, Atom & the Breaknecks, The Lighting Section — May 15 at Thee Stork Club
[d&b] SHELTER ft. UFO!, Rivs, Olly, Shadow Spirit, Shibumi — May 15 at Underground SF
[club] Parameter 10 Year Anniversary — May 15-17 at Public Works
[fest] Tenderloin Music & Arts Festival — May 16-18 at various SF venues
[alternative] Joel Robinow, Forest Floor — May 16 at Little Hill Lounge
[hip hop] Afterthought, Joyce Lee — May 16 at Towne Cycles Backyard
[rock] Magic Fig, Silverware, Jack Erin Brown — May 16 at Kilowatt
[hip hop] Stunnaman02, DJ Black Marc, Baghead, EDEL — May 16 at Crybaby
[rock] Wander, Dream 99, Nothing Natural — May 17 at the Knockout
[house] PROGRAM erika fka b0nitababy, moth, sfcowboy — May 17 at the Hibernia Bank Vault
[house] STARDELLA ft. David Harness, Carrieondisco, DJ M3, discoesq, Kelly Naughton, Mondo Nexus — May 17 at the Great Northern
[jazz] SFJAZZ High School All-Stars — May 18 at SFJAZZ
[rock] The Loved Ones, Lunchbox, The Selecter DJ Kirk — May 18 at Thee Stork Club
[rock] Heavy Lifter, Slugfeast, Mox, 11111angels — May 18 at the Knockout
[rock] Erik Core, Matthew Edwards & the Futurists, The Cramp-Ons — May 18 at Bottom of the Hill
GET TICKETS TO TOTAL ACCORD!
We’re co-hosting an epic celebration of Bay Area music, showcasing amazing local talent at six awesome shows across four of our favorite venues. Get tickets →
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