2024 was quite a splendid year– we published 5 print issues, 10+ music festivals, 80+ concerts and expanded our LW team along with showcasing editorial features from music, fashion to onsite events. It has been a whirlwind of a year filled with lots of lows and highs, but it’s part of the growing process.
In this issue, we delved into the topic of introspection which has always been on my mind especially with the transitional season of fall and winter. Our Winter 2024 cover star, Dayglow channels this energy of his own self-journey of growth, new experiences and his latest self-titled album, Dayglow showcases the issue’s theme in a nutshell. Our team chatted with other talented creatives in the music and entertainment scene to reflect and uncover their feelings, thoughts and experiences from this year.
The team and I are thrilled for what’s in-store for 2025. I’ve learned that taking risks has always been challenging as you never know the actual outcome, just like flipping a coin–either heads or tails. The next wave of Local Wolves will be even more creative yet unconventional and experimental at times (always fun to switch things up). We look forward to sharing our journey along the way. Thanks for your support as always!
Cathrine Khom
FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Cathrine Khom
COPY EDITOR
Sophia Khom
DESIGNERS
Lisa Lok, Yoolim Moon
SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATORS
Jessica Spiers, Tatiana Diaz de Leon
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Alexis Marion, Ariella Nikita Lai, Jessica Spiers, Mara Go, Mun AM, Yoko Zhu
Abby Mueller, imPRint PR, Kassi Reyna, Justina Brandt, Lexi Mischnick, Republic Records, Sacks & Co., The Oriel Company, Twnty Three
ISSUE 69 — DAYGLOW
WINTER 2024
FEATURING
Dayglow
THEME
Introspection
COVER PHOTO
Gabby Agustin
COVER DESIGN
Lisa Lok
LOGO
Lisa Lok, Fiona Yeung
CONTACT
General: info@localwolves.com
Press: press@localwolves.com
Advertising: advertising@localwolves.com
Get Involved: community@localwolves.com
LET'S CONNECT
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PHOTOGRAPHER
Dayglow STORY
Jessica Spiers
Gabby Agustin
Kellie Chen
Jessica Spiers
Kassi Reyna
Lexi Mischnick
Ever since moving to New York City, I’ve been making it my mission to explore as much of the east coast as possible, and Maine has been on the top of that list. When I used to live in San Diego, the evergreens and rocky coastlines of Acadia National Park seemed so out of reach, but one day, I knew I would go.
An 8-hour road trip may sound daunting, but with stops through classic towns of Portland and Southwest Harbor to views of lakes mirroring the sunset, it went by quickly. During our two full days in a quaint cabin just minutes from the park, we crammed it all, early mornings hiking steep rocky trails like North Bubble with breathtaking summit views of the lakes, ending our days by winding down with harbor sunsets and blueberry pie and from Happy Clam Shack.
Even now as the subway roars by, if I close my eyes, I can almost smell pine needles, hear waves lapping at the foggy cliffs beneath the lighthouse, and see vast mountains miles in front of me, layered with trees. It feels like a pocket of peace.
WOLFIE SUBMISSIONS INTROSPECTION
It’s time to reflect on your feelings, thoughts, and experiences to uncover the true version of yourself in our Winter 2024 issue.
With the transitional season of fall and winter, this theme is open to everyone about being a light to yourself and others, peeling away the layers of societal norms and external pressures to reveal the gem that you are!
Share your own perspective of what introspection means to you, describe the energy that you would like to channel into your life, and look inward in the core elements of who you are as a person in your own self-journey.
ANNA JEW / SANTA ROSA, CA, USA
Photography & Creative Direction by Anna Jew Styling & Model: Denali Lo Monaco
Styling: Charlotte Rose Manning, Isabel Spooner Martinez, Mafe Pinilla
Model: Charlotte Rose Manning
Woman, Child, Girl
A Woman is many things; a fig tree, a red scarf, perfumed wrists, a pomegranate. She is reaching out, warm, wafting through the breeze, deceptive.
A Girl is also many things; a swing set, picture books, a scratched CD of “A Quest for Camelot”, glow-in-the-dark stars and always with laughter like a ringing bell.
A a Child, I once fell into the lake in my favorite green dress dotted with embroidered ladybugs. I cried and cried as the water dripped, soaking my socks and dribbling into my Mary Janes— there were no towels to cradle me until we arrived home.
………I know that being a Girl is also wanting to be held, nay, needing it, nay craving it, starving for it……………………. until one day you wake up a Woman. Then any hand on you might be an ultimatum…I am not sure if it was always this way… Was I born or was I made? Tell me, please-- can I still be a beautiful thing?
GRACE USLEMAN / NASHVILLE, TN, USA
MAFE
Nude Energy: A Soul Emergence
I removed all the mirrors in my home. I stopped looking at myself because I couldn’t love the person staring back at me. Every reflection felt like a reminder of what I lacked, the parts of myself I struggled to accept. I carried this weight silently, feeling disconnected from my own body, my own essence.
Then one day, as a film photographer, I realized the lens I turned outward needed to be directed inward. I needed to capture myself—not just as I appeared, but as I wished to feel. This was my way to heal, to confront the shadows within, and to document the day I could look back with admiration, love, and fulfillment. Slowly, I began to embrace the vulnerability, the rawness, and the truth within each image. Each photograph became a small awakening, a testament to the resilience and beauty that had been there all along, waiting to emerge.
I felt called to submit this work to The Introspection Issue because, like the seasons, I look back at these images and see the essence of who I am becoming. Each frame holds a piece of the self I reclaimed, a soul emergence that transcends the physical. This journey has been a powerful reminder that the love we seek is often the love we must find within.
All captures are on 35mm film. developed and scanned by self.
LERESA DIAZ / WATSONVILLE, CA, USA
Words & Photography by Leresa Diaz
A Winter’s Glow Within
There was a time I only knew the noise—the constant rush, the weight of expectations pressing hard against my chest. Life felt like a winter without snow, cold yet lacking beauty. I searched outside myself, believing that within other people’s opinions, in the flicker of approval, lay the warmth I needed. But all I found was frost—thin, bitter, and biting.
Then, one evening, in the stillness of a twilight wrapped in December’s chill, I dared to look inward. I stood in front of my mirror, eyes tracing the tired lines etched by years of doubt and muted dreams. My reflection whispered softly, “You are here.” It wasn’t a command or an accusation; it was a statement, fragile but true.
In the silence that followed, I felt the first embers of understanding light up inside me. I realized that being a light begins not with blazing brilliance but with the smallest spark—a promise to hold oneself tenderly, even when the world outside turns icy.
I started to peel back the layers, one by one. The masks I wore for others, the brittle armor built from whispers of “not enough,” fell away. Beneath it all, I discovered a gem I had overlooked for far too long: me. Not the polished, perfect version I once imagined, but the raw, imperfect truth that had been waiting patiently to be seen.
And as I sat there, alone but not lonely, I understood that introspection is not only about finding answers but nurturing questions, allowing them space to exist without the need for immediate resolution. Who am I becoming? What stories have my scars told, and which ones am I still writing?
I began to nourish myself with simple rituals—a cup of warm coffee in the morning light, walks where I noticed the way my breath billowed like clouds, moments where I chose stillness over action. Slowly, the layers of frost within started to thaw, revealing that the winter wasn’t devoid of life after all; it was simply preparing me for spring.
“There is nothing more beautiful than growing at your own pace. Sway with the breeze and breathe in the sun. You’re blooming over and over again.”
In the quiet of a winter’s night, I found my warmth. I found my light.
ALEJANDRO
ROJAS / UPLAND, CA, USA
AVALON COMBS / LOS ANGELES, CA, USA
art-making is for the one-percent and the remaining ninety nine exists within me
I carry myself with me wherever I go. I thought that I was “good” at introspection because I’m emotionally intelligent, but in truth I intellectualize my emotions, which ignores the innate knowledge that my body and mind and spirit are connected and constantly sending messages to one another. So I stopped auditioning for three years because my spirit was disheartened by the business of entertainment and my artistry’s relentless request to act as my own agent, director, and actor for each audition. My anemoia for in-person auditions runs deep, because, yes, zoom is accessible, but you still need a close knit creative community with endless time and energy to perform at eleven p.m. after you’ve all come home from a grueling shift at work. Or money.
Any collective I mention in the piece going forward, be it community or environment includes you. Do not think you are so devoid of these spaces that they are only ones you can join. Remember that your presence and participation with other people is twofold in the feeling that you can be communal and environmentally conscious with yourself, alone. Contrary to my title, art-making is also accessible for the ten-percent, and I try not to believe the top google search result, and many history books have been contaminated by my ruling class’s agenda to make me forget myself in service of their needs. So it makes sense that I learned to slash through my struggle for future gain, as I have been taught to do, ignoring the ancestral knowledge tucked in my front pocket.
It is more important to focus on where you are rather than who you are. If I had trained my eye more fixedly on my environments I would have sooner noticed close friends who
relegated my emotions in big and small ways, educational and collaborative spaces that challenged my ideas because I am Black, and the repetition in which I fell in disharmonic step with such stimulus that I parroted those credos to the tune of misharm. A compilation of these moments playing on a torturous loop in my mind, eloquently paired with anxiety and depression, influenced me to create a friendship with myself. I moved from Lenape to Tongva land, and a year later my body felt enough ease to give my mind permission to create the life I longed for while chain-smoking cigarettes out of my Chinatown apartment window.
Would you believe that I set an intention to write more essays this year, and here I sit writing this love letter to myself and you? Prior to this, I struggled to finish my audition because my mind was exhausted by using my time outside of work to work, and I gambled my body as a token stewing over unfinished scripts at night, and my spirit was shaken because a few industry gatekeepers were uninterested in me, and then I stopped songwriting after I had long dampened the flames of my voice due to repeated messages from people I spent my hard-earned dollar on to train me that I was too old for entry to profit from my art as if my need to create would disappear if I were not rich and famous. I say that art-making is for the one-percent and the remaining ninety-nine exists within me, and also you, because a true desire will always beg for release. And what’s currently screaming through my bones is a need to worldbuild through words, responsibly create new artistic environments, ease, rest, and unforeseen ways to meet my introspective self anew.
AILEEN WU
BY MARA GO
PHOTOGRAPHY
& CREATIVE DIRECTION BY ANA OQUENDO
HAIR
— DANILO DIXON
MAKEUP — HINAKO
AILEEN WU is a homebody — at least that is how she describes herself off-cam. In the first five minutes of our conversation, we surprisingly spoke at length about all kinds of things: the gap between our time zones, the wonders of Epsom salt baths, and, of course, how she takes care of herself amid a busy schedule. “I’m a big homebody,” she smiles. “On my rest days, I usually binge-watch films or series.”
It’s for a good reason, Wu promises. “It refills my creative bucket,” the Chinese Canadian actor says. “Peaky Blinders, for one, is really good. It gets me into this studying mode where I take mental notes of how the shots are done or how they curate the soundtrack. And that helps me a lot when I am on set.”
Ask her about her favorite actors and she will quickly name Sandra Oh and Steven Yeun in a heartbeat. “Their performances are so seamless to me,” she explains. “I have a couple of friends who've worked with Oh before and they've spoken to me a bit about how amazing her work ethic is and how dedicated she is. Most of it, the way they do storytelling is brilliant. I look up to them.”
Storytelling. Coincidentally, it is a word deeply embedded with her ethos as a creative and an actor.
One of her first dives into creative storytelling is taking the role of Cordelia in Smith Street Stage’s Lear: That Old Man I Used to Know. “It was a big turning point in my life because I want to take care of my character, Cordelia,” she begins. “At such a young age, I was just getting comfortable in my professional training as an actor and to have a theater company to trust you with this role is a big responsibility. I’ve learned a lot about myself here: what I am capable of and am made of.”
Then comes her stint in a school play at her university. “It was Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing . I played Beatrice,” she says. “In the middle of doing my character’s famous monologue,
I notice this student whose head moves with the rhythm of our speech. It took me out of the moment to appreciate how he was so invested in every scene.”
She continues, “Seeing someone physically move somebody with the words given to you by a brilliant writer and line that you've worked on for so long it feels like a form of merit that you have done justice to your character.”
Wu cites this experience as an eye-opener — crediting it as one thing that taught her how stage acting is a powerful thing. “As an actor, you are asking the audience to suspend their disbelief that you're not who you are and you're playing this person and your character is the real person in front of them even though they can reach out and touch you. You can't do that in film.“
In the same timeline, Wu explored the concept of storytelling outside of acting; earning producer and director credits in her name. “Producing and directing helped shape my actor's mind,” she says. “I'm a lot more mindful of what production has to go through as a whole from my producing experiences and I also have an easier time communicating with my directors because of my experience. All are equally fulfilling but acting will always be my bread and butter.”
It was a pivotal time of her life and what came next changed her fate for the better: landing the role of Navarro in Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus , a sci-fi horror franchise about young space colonists who encounter hostile creatures while scavenging a derelict space station.
“I think I held my breath for like a good three minutes,” Wu laughs, recalling the time she got the big call confirming her role. “I called my mother and she cried. She was in China at the time. I was in Vancouver. And hearing her cry made me cry too. It's just crazy, you know? This kind of opportunity doesn’t come as often. When you're training as an actor, everybody prepares you for failure, but nobody prepares you for when really good opportunities come knocking on your door.”
Playing Navarro, Wu tells me, requires both discipline and connection. “Learning my lines is my top priority. But when it comes to building my character and her personality, it came down to having a lot of conversations with the director about her backstory,” she reveals. “Each character is unique and very much serves a strong purpose about each other. Everyone has a backstory, like Navarro which explains her drive and her relationship with the ship.”
Wu describes Navarro as someone who is admiringly selfless, which made portraying this role somehow a transformative experience. “Nothing in the script tells me that she needs this trip. She's kind of a shepherd. She's kind of their guardian angel. The trip to Yvaga is not for her. Her job here is to get these people to Yvaga,” she says. “It feels greater than life, you know when their drive doesn’t rotate around their selfish needs.”
To get into the mindset of Navarro, Wu needed to fully understand where her character was coming from. “Do I have any strong wants and needs for myself? Not really. Because what is there to want and need when you live on a planet where you never see the sun? I think she's smart like that. I think she's very rational like that.”
The actor emphasizes, “Navarro can be a very tactile person, with her being a pilot and fixing and refixing that ship just to get some rocks out in space back down to their planet and then doing that trip again. She was so fun to play because of all these little things.”
The thing is, Wu has great admiration for Navarro. “Playing this role certainly taught me a thing or two," she smiles. “But one that I keep closely in my heart is that the most important things in life will always be way bigger than you and so big that they feel unreachable and when you go after something that you know you can never have, you know you're on the right path.”
The actor ties her gratitude to every second she has spent on the set. “I feel incredibly proud to be a part of something that really not only stands alone so well as his own story but also really kind of nods and appreciates the original films,” she says. “On top of that, I love working with my co-actors! We're just a crazy bunch! The chemistry is crazy, it's insane! They did such a good job casting us. We really were a team, you know, onscreen and off.”
Wu looks back. “My favorite thing is just how much fun we had and how chill it was and how well everyone got along and I think it really speaks — I am surrounded with people who are down to earth. I would call any of them any time of day. If I was going through something and have full faith in my heart that they'll pick up and talk me through you know whatever I was going through.”
“Nowhere but up!” I said, referring to her biggest breakthroughs which stems from her love for storytelling. “Tell me, what makes your craft so rewarding?”
Wu answers “I always perceive acting as a craft of empathy because the first thing they teach you is to leave the judgment behind — you need to have love and empathy for your characters. And when you play a character truthfully enough, it will make an impact. In a way, someone will form a connection with your character and it can somehow be a safe space where they feel more seen, represented, or understood. I think that’s what makes acting so rewarding.”
DUO
PHOTO ASSISTANT — MICHELLE HE
STYLING — GRACE MCFADDIN YOUNG
DESIGNER — NICOLE CASTAÑEDA
MODELS — SOPHIA PIELET & ALY CANDLAND
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SRAVYA BALASA
When looking at others’ love, we are always looking through a filter, only seeing what has been carefully chosen to be shared with us. How often we are unable to take a step back and acknowledge what sharing your life with someone looks like in actuality, ranging from the glamorous bits we see to taxes and a chore schedule. DUO presents a partnership in all its forms, where dressing ourselves in a put together fashion to present to the outside world parallels the stripped down, raw character that is everyday life in a relationship.
hongjoin
BY YOKO ZHU
PHOTOGRAPHY & CREATIVE DIRECTION
BY KELLIE CHEN
EAST
When hongjoin answered, he was at his friend Fig’s house. He’d been traveling quite a bit and playing shows – that sort of thing. His hair was dark and slightly curled, and he spoke with an approachable, boyish softness, which in some way, aligned with his music.
hongjoin, who has previously opened for artists Matt Maltese, sundial, and Ricky Montgomery, creates songs that are indie and R&B. He uses strings and airy production, layering his tracks with dreamy vocals. His music is a blend of East and West; hongjoin’s two worlds coalesced to create bedroom pop that tells his stories.
HARMONICALLY BLENDS AND WEST
“I like making things that make you think and feel weird,” hongjoin said, “For me, it'd be like a really upbeat production, but the lyrics are sad. I like listening to music like that. Naturally, I make music like that.”
His Asian sounds are reminiscent of artists like Sunset Rollercoaster, Lamp, and wave to earth. They feature emotional, organic sounds with guitar and chord progressions like minor fourths. On the other hand, western instrumentals feature more percussion instruments (like drum machines). The production highlights more electronic synths, sort of this brassy beat you feel in your chest. Growing up, hongjoin absorbed artists like Jeremy Zucker, Dayglow, and Valley, which fed into his inspiration and creative work.
“Having artists that I look up to in both different parts of the world really helps me develop my own sound,” he said.
hongjoin writes his songs acoustically. He transfers it to a laptop, and the production process unfolds from there. As a self-proclaimed producer at heart, he produces, records, and mixes all his tracks. This is where hongjoin builds his world, aiming to make the listener feel like they’re floating in space.
His recent album KOMOREBI – the Japanese word for sunlight filtered through the leaves of the trees – lives up to its name. The album is mellow, touching on themes of love and wanting, and is born from hongjoin’s experience in a long-distance relationship.
“That album was made to celebrate love, which was very different from what I’m used to because all I wrote about was heartbreak,” hongjoin said.
“A lot of people were like, ‘oh, he's in this lover boy era. Like, yes, I am. And that's interesting because they’re invested in me as a person, and not just music alone, which helps me develop a relationship with the fans.”
hongjoin also notably collaborated with Regina Song on “i don’t rly care bout u!’ The bright, bubbly track is a proclamation of wanting to exorcise someone out of your mind. The single was unexpectedly born in Boston out of what began as a “jam session.” Both had wanted it to be a lighthearted song about heartbreak. Song took the wheel as the writer, while hongjoin produced.
“For both of us, it was just about putting out a track that showed Singapore's music,” hongjoin said.
When asked how his relationship with music developed, hongjoin jumped to a time before he came to the United States. As a Singaporean native, he was mandated to two years in military service. He began producing music during this time, picking up songwriting and producing. This, hongjoin recollected, was also a result of heartbreak. In the military, his friends encouraged him
to create TikToks, which ended up “doing well.” hongjoin humorously remarked on the dichotomy between the masculine act of serving in the military and posting his songs. But this, he expressed, was the beginning of his journey.
“The people who have been here since I started…they've been growing with me with every project,” hongjoin said. “When people say ‘I feel like I grew up with your music,’ that, to me, is why I make music.”
When people say ‘I feel like I grew up with your music,’ that, to me, is why I make music.
ORLA GARTLAND
BY JESSICA SPIERS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEREK HE-YAU KWOK
PHOTO ASSISTANT — ERICA KO
The concept and idea of ORLA GARTLAND ’s sophomore album Everybody Needs a Hero came from a simple conversation with a friend. This idea that women must be heroes, running around and doing well in all aspects of her life, helping and saving everyone but herself. It’s a feeling that most women know all too well. “I see it in myself, I see it in my mother, I see it in so many of my female friends, this mad spinning plate thing of I want to excel in my career, I want to be a great partner, I want to be a great friend, I want to look really cool all the time and be really healthy. It’s this sort of impossible, manic juggle that I, for better or for worse, deeply relate to and I think I was just thinking a lot about that,” Gartland says. While the album is focused on one relationship and not entirely this concept of a hero, many of the lyrics across the album still ring true of this feminine urge. In ‘Who Am I?’ on the second half of the album, Gartland sings, “I can’t be your rock and your lover, your mom / God I’ve tried / Now I’m not anything, just a silhouette of the person I was / If I’m your everything, who am I?” Gartland explains that the female perspective is always inevitable and she writes about how to retain your identity and take up space. “I never really set out to write songs about being a woman but it’s the lens that I see the world through,” Gartland says. I just became obsessed with this comical image of this self appointed hero, this person who’s answering the call but no one has really asked them to do that.”
Taking up space is hard as a woman in music but Gartland is learning how, even though she says she knows it’s a lifelong mission. Not only does she write and perform her own songs, she produces
them and has her own record label called New Friends. “I think I would have trouble with someone standing in the way of me creatively saying, ‘you can’t put that song out’ or ‘that can’t be the album cover,’ Gartland says. “Having someone higher up in a label that’s holding the keys to the castle or bank account is hard as an artist because there’s someone in the way. Deciding to remain independent for this album was a fairly effortless decision because I like having the control and I’m used to it.” Gartland has proved she has maintained that control on her own. Her debut album Woman on the Internet was in the Top 10 of the UK Official Charts, number three on the Irish Album Charts and was nominated for RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year 2021. Everybody Needs a Hero has already charted number one on the Irish Independent Chart and number eight on the Irish Albums Chart.
With this level of success, being your own boss comes with a lot of decision making. Whether you’re making simple, tiny decisions or huge decisions like what the album is going to be called and what singles you choose to release first. “Learning to trust your gut is hard when you’re an artist and you have to be making so many decisions,” Gartland says. “I think since ‘Woman on the Internet’ I’ve gotten better and more decisive. I still get decision paralysis sometimes but it’s good for me to challenge that.”
Gartland grew her success on her own after she started making YouTube videos over ten years ago. This fall and winter she will embark on her first ever tour of North America and has sold out all of the shows, even though they had to guess on venue size since she’s never toured in that part of the world. “I’ve been getting these messages saying ‘I’m gonna drive eight hours to come see you’ and ‘I’ve been watching you for ten years’ and it made me so emotional because the internet is not like this anymore,” Gartland says. “I have been so lucky to carve out this humble little corner where the normal rules don’t seem to apply and people are so nice and funny and the fact that they just have that kind of patience.”
In this mad spinning plate and manic juggling idea of being successful, Gartland has clearly succeeded in being her own hero. She says she puts in so much work, working through sleepless nights because she’s passionate about making music and giving a voice to these distinct feelings, ideas and emotions in her songs. “I want to take these stickier, specific feelings and give them a voice. I’m so interested in how nuanced we are as people. If I have any kind of mission it would be to just make people feel a bit seen in whatever the feeling is,” Gartland explains. “I care so deeply, almost painfully, about what I do. I really love it and I really care about it being good.”
an expert in change. With his career taking off from a young age, things have not stayed the same for Struble as an artist over the past few years. But maybe that’s a good thing. The Texas native and indie pop artist, who releases music under the moniker DAYGLOW, released his first album Fuzzybrain at the age of 17. Now at the age of 25, he’s released four studio albums, is a Multi-Platinum Certified artist, has over five million monthly listeners and has performed at festivals, late night shows and gained critical acclaim. Dayglow, his newest and self-titled album, is different from what Struble has done before. The previous Dayglow albums have all been experimental and Struble made the decision to make his newest album self-titled because he wanted to release something that felt true to himself as an artist. “I wasn’t trying to do anything on this album, I just wanted to do what was natural to me. I wanted to write songs that weren’t just concepts. This feels like my first album and my first tour in a way; it’s been a good season of life,” he says.
Headphones: Stylist’s own
Sweater + Jeans:
Abercrombie & Fitch via The Society Archive
Sneakers: Bally
Hat: Vintage
T-Shirt: Sloan’s own
Trousers: Wrangler
Belt: Stylist’s archive
Shoes: Sloan’s own
Pointer Jacket: LC King Mfg
Dayglow begins with “Mindless Creatures,” a song Struble wrote when he was a teenager and the first song he ever released as Dayglow. “Mindless Creatures” tells the story of a jaded old man, something that Struble felt like he was becoming as he was getting older and he decided to revisit the song and rewrite it, talking to his younger self. “People really love the music that they loved when they were in their formative years and it was like doing that to myself as an artist because I was writing songs then. It was this introspective journey of returning to my roots and my childlike approach to writing,” he says. “It was a full circle moment and it only felt right to have it as the opening track to the self-titled record because it was a journey.”
Besides “Mindless Creatures,” many lyrics on Dayglow discuss change and reflecting on this introspective journey. In “Cocoon,” there’s the lyric “Nothing will ever be the way that it was again / Nothing will ever be the same.” On "Nothing Ever Does!!!,” he sings “Finding myself stuck inside this cyclical game / Looking for somebody like me / Wishing things could stay the same / But nothing ever does.” Things are not the same as they were in the past for Dayglow; Struble’s career took off fast and hasn’t slowed down, a career that quickly takes off in the spotlight can add many challenges. Luckily, Struble’s career gives him the
tools and outlet to process those emotions and changes. “Songwriting is definitely how I process emotions in my life. Almost all my songs are about changing and growing up and moving through life is what I write about,” he says. “Songwriting helps with defining moments of my life and each album feels like a scrapbook of those times in my life. It’s impossible for me to imagine a world where I don’t have songwriting as a tool to help me be introspective.”
In addition to writing all of his songs, Struble also records, produces and mixes all of his music. “I wish I could just hand off my songs to a producer and I could do something else with my time but I can’t,” he says. “What I’ve come to terms with is that I love to do everything and I love to learn how to do it. I’m sure there’s an element of control but I do have a very vivid vision of what I want to do when I’m making something and for me.” Being in control of his own music has taught Struble more about himself and helped him own the title of being an artist. He says that accepting this identity has helped him make better music and art. “I don’t think I’m trying to be anything other than myself but the approach towards making art. Something I’ve learned recently and something I’ve learned to accept is that I am an artist. I grew up in a small town in Texas and people thought artists weren't real. I think I’ve totally accepted the fact that I’m a total artist archetype and I’m just living my life.”
Shirt: Noah
Headphones: Stylist’s own
Sweater + Jeans:
Abercrombie & Fitch
via The Society Archive
Sneakers: Bally
Struble recently wrapped up his North American tour and played three shows at Austin area venues, including small venues that he first played when he was just starting out as Dayglow. “It feels like it wasn’t that long ago that I was playing there so it feels weird to say that Dayglow is returning because I don’t know, it feels like I just played there last year because it happened so fast,” he says. Dayglow shows are full of energy and the crowd is full of loyal and joyful fans, some who have been there since the first release of “Mindless Creatures” all those years ago. “I love being on tour and having human interaction with my music. I think it’s cool if my song gets used on TikTok but I would much rather have people come to a show and be together in person.”
With all of the changes and challenges that people face in the world, Struble hopes Dayglow’s music and live shows can be a silver lining for people. “I think one of the biggest takeaways that I want people to have is that I want people to feel hopeful. One of my challenges that I’ve always tried to face as Dayglow is being fairly simple, being positive and being cool. I hope people listen to my music and feel happy and it just makes their day better. I think it would be pretty cool if that’s just my main thing.”
CREATIVITY'S REBIRTH
PHOTOGRAPHY & CREATIVE DIRECTION BY DAKOTAH PUCCIO
HAIR & MAKEUP — YAHM STEINBERG
STYLING — DAKOTAH PUCCIO & YAHM STEINBERG
MODEL — YAHM STEINBERG
ISABEL DUMAA
BY ALEXIS MARION
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LIANA GLENNON
BTS PHOTOGRAPHY BY ETHAN WONG
Self-reflection is just her nature
ISABEL DUMAA , a 21-year-old singer-songwriter from San Francisco, moved to Los Angeles shortly after graduating high school, never looking back. In October, Dumaa released her debut EP, Just My Nature, a project she had been building for two years. Her new release, which included production from acclaimed producers Tyler Chester, Brandon Shoop, Jed Jones, Oscar Neidhardt, and James Krause has been streamed millions of times. At its core, the EP draws inspiration from Dumaa's love for Taylor Swift’s songwriting abilities at a young age.
“I was a little Taylor fanatic growing up, and it was like, ‘Oh, Taylor Swift writes her own songs, so I need to write my own songs,’” Dumaa said. “I started writing at age ten and I haven’t stopped since.”
Dumaa had her first studio session at age 12 and has dreamt of releasing an EP since high school, which she’s worked on over the years. Mixing different ideas and finding her sound eventually led to Just My Nature
“That EP has just taken so many different shapes throughout the years,” Dumaa said. “I moved to LA a little over three years ago and a lot of that time was just spent in the studio, kind of throwing stuff at a wall and seeing what sticks, trying to find myself.”
Although her passion and talent for songwriting was more natural to her, the production process was more foreign at first. After learning more and messing around with different changes and sounds, Dumaa perfected the story she wanted to tell in her debut release.
“A lot of the themes in the EP are very self-reflective… I'm a very self-reflective person,” Dumaa said. “It’s essentially just me writing about myself and how I encounter the world, and ‘C’est La Vie’ was very much the epitome of all of that… and it felt like a very nice segue song from ‘Quarter Life Crisis.’ I kind of think of them as sister singles.”
"This is what I wanted to do my entire life and there's never been a single day that I felt any different."
Dumaa’s style, which she compares to Maggie Rogers, Gracie Abrams, and Taylor Swift with some 70’s and 90’s guitar thrown in, has gained her plenty of attention on the internet, primarily within the music communities on TikTok.
“‘Quarter Life Crisis’ was kind of the first song where it was like, ‘Oh, people care about this and are listening to it,’” Dumaa said. “It's a really interesting concept when it’s through the phone because you don't really get to see the payoff until the song is out and you can see the streaming numbers. It's fun, but it does feel a little disconnected. The TikTok lives have been amazing… I've had people come up to me at shows and say, ‘I found you scrolling on my ‘For You’ page.’”
Despite the challenges and risks of moving to LA at a young age, Dumaa has never regretted pursuing music in LA.
“This is what I wanted to do my entire life and there's never been a single day that I felt any different,” Dumaa said. “I literally graduated, got my diploma and just drove on down to Los Angeles, which, looking back, I'm very impressed with myself. I was 17 and I did not know a soul in LA…I'm really lucky to have supportive parents.”
After working with acclaimed producers on her EP and seeing success for her indie-pop tracks, Dumaa is already working on her next project, excited and energized to keep pursuing her passion.
“I hope I get to play more shows and travel the world,” Dumaa said. “I just hope I get to keep doing this for my whole life.”
Meet EASHA , the dreamy 23-year-old singer/songwriter who is making waves in the music industry. Just like herself, her music soundtracks the journey of being in your twenties, encapsulating melancholy, love and adventure into her sound. Local Wolves sits down with EASHA to discuss her music backstory, being a woman of color and
her future music plans. From making soul-stirring tunes that you want to gush to your friends about to being a triathlete, she is a multifaceted talent you should be keeping a lookout for. With determination and passion existent in her, it’s no doubt that she has a boundless future ahead of her.
EBY MUN AM PHOTOGRAPHY & CREATIVE DIRECTION BY SABRINA POEI
WHAT WAS MUSIC LIKE TO YOU GROWING UP? WHAT WAS YOUR GATEWAY TO MUSIC?
My mom was a singer. Growing up, my sister and I learned Indian Classical Music with the neighborhood kids but I took it the most seriously. I would wake up at 5 am and practice in the basement so as to not get noise complaints, mainly from my sister. I wrote my first song when I was 13 and would mostly perform at this bar called Trenton Social. I remember my dad would drive us there. It was the funniest image, this immigrant software engineer and his family behind him, including this brazen teenage girl who had no care in the world. There were drug deals happening in the parking lot and drive bys every other week but I would just go the next week again. I met friends from all walks of life and would write, perform and repeat. Having a foundation from my family and community at the venues I went to was my gateway.
TO CONTINUE FROM THAT, DO YOU HAVE A CORE MEMORY WITH MUSIC? WHAT IS IT?
There’s so many to choose from, I’ll list a few! Writing with Liz Rose in Nashville, performing with an orchestra, having the entire El Rey audience laugh at my jokes, and when I was busking, this bus driver drove across town and back to buy me a chocolate bar because he didn’t have cash on him. “As sweet as your voice” he sheepishly said before driving to his next shift.
YOU’VE MENTIONED THAT YOUR MUSIC HAS TONES OF COMING OF AGE AND MELANCHOLY, WAS THAT SOMETHING YOU WANTED TO INCLUDE WHEN YOU FIRST DECIDED TO MAKE MUSIC? OR DID IT JUST MOLD INTO THAT SOUND OVER TIME? Those themes were born more out of comments I kept getting like “this is a coming of age movie musical” or “your songs cover the gray area.” I suppose I’m always coming of age, I value growth and exploring but I hate feeling blindsided. In that way, my voice in music is adventurous but with this underlying tone of innocence. I also love movies, so when I’m writing I tend to have a specific scene in my mind which then translates into this cinematic production. I think the songs are more melancholy only because I’m fascinated by more complicated emotions. Like feeling happy and sad at the same time or not feeling spiteful towards an ex but feeling ashamed of how bad you’re feeling. Any sort of nuance in explaining a situation has always been more truthful for me. Making music is very much about capturing an energy and making something I love. How people interpret it afterwards is interesting and teaches me a lot about myself but it’s not something I take into account while writing.
THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS SLOWLY BUT SURELY EVOLVING. AS A BROWN WOC MYSELF WORKING IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, I’M CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW HAS BEING A WOC (WOMAN OF COLOR) HELPED OR IMPACTED YOUR JOURNEY WITH MUSIC?
I love being Indian. There’s so much richness in culture, like an immigrant parent's sense of humor I’ve picked up and this resilience I wouldn’t have gotten any other way. I grew up learning Indian Classical Music, which influences the way I process and sing music. I was inspired by other Indian artists like Norah Jones and Freddie Mercury. I would say being a woman of color is a lot like being in the music industry. It’s constantly having assumptions made about you, fighting against that, letting go, and forging forth.
There were instances where I didn’t make it into some spaces like school plays and vocalist for jazz ensemble back in high school because of my identity. At home with immigrant parents, brutal honesty is the only way and it was constantly preached “don’t be a victim.” All of that comes together to make the fabric of who you are. Things are changing but growing up, there was this hard reality that you are aware of before your peers. Ironically, I don’t think any rejection ever deterred me. If anything, it made me more determined to chart my own path. It’s very rockstar to say you have everyone against you or underestimating you and looking them in the face like "screw you." Every ambitious woman of color I’ve worked with has that sense of boldness and that’s what makes us awesome. Being a woman of color is always in the question, but I’ve lived as one my whole life and I really like how I’ve turned out. That’s all I need to know about that.
I’VE HEARD ABOUT YOUR HISTORY AS A COMPETITIVE TRIATHLETE. BETWEEN MAKING MUSIC AND BEING A TRIATHLETE, HOW WOULD YOU SAY IT SHAPED YOU AS A PERSON? WERE THERE THINGS YOU LEARNT FROM BOTH SIDES THAT YOU INCORPORATED INTO YOUR LIFE?
I consider myself an endurance athlete, whether that’s in a triathlon, making music or as a human being. Everything good in my life has been a slow burn and completely out of the blue. I competed in the World Championships of Triathlon in Switzerland in 2019 and placed 11th in my age group. It was the first time I knew it was possible to quantum leap and achieve on that level. I still remember this hill we had to bike up that was legitimately 90 degrees. I kept on thinking I was going to fall over but everyone around me kept affirming me and before I knew it, I was rolling downhill. There are certain peak experiences like that which inform the way I make music because now I see it as a set of hills, not flat land. Sports teach you about life in abstract ways that you can’t explain beyond cheesy one-liners like “don’t give up” but you definitely feel it in your body. Moments like that also reaffirm that I need applause to live. You get your fix of that in competing and performing. There’s also something about my mental health where I’m such an extreme person, if I don’t exercise for more than two days, I go insane. In a career with so much uncertainty, it’s healthy to have an avenue where you know, if I train consistently I’ll feel endorphins. Triathlon ingrained discipline and trusting the process. As for music, that’s an obsession I just haven’t bothered to find a cure for.
FOR YOUR NEW RELEASE, YOU’VE MENTIONED THAT YOU WENT TO LONDON TO WORK ON YOUR MUSIC VIDEO, CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THAT?
This was the first time I’ve officially done a music video. I was really lucky to work with Estrella, this girl whose work I’ve been admiring on Instagram and Scott, a videographer who has the most biting humor I’ve ever worked with. It was Scott and I running around London, jumping over fences, secretly filming in places we weren’t allowed to, getting caught in said places and running away. We did that for three days and in the midst of it all, I was hostel hopping. Safe to say it was exciting but I was the most anxious I’d ever been trying to do my makeup with seven other people crowded in one room. There’s also this pressure as opposed to being on stage, everything on screen is close up and permanent, you don’t really know how it’s going to turn out until you get it back. I’m super happy to share it but honestly pretty relieved it’s over.
I ALSO HEARD THAT YOU’RE ALSO GOING ON A WORK TRIP IN NASHVILLE, WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO FROM THAT TRIP?
I hope to connect with Ian Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian, I love them. They’ve been my dream producers ever since “Golden Hour” came out and I think our styles would match. I’ve been trying to connect with them but now that I’m in Nashville I’d love to meet in person. I’m really in awe of how they afford space in the songs while maintaining this atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re floating. I’m manifesting that we can work together soon.
IF THERE’S ONE THING YOU WOULD LIKE TO TRY IN THE NEAR FUTURE (MUSIC RELATED), WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Tour! It’s a different rush to see real life people in front of you singing your words back at you, learning about their lives and how you all connect. I’m used to writing, recording and releasing now, but touring is this beast I haven’t tamed yet.
I’M CURIOUS TO KNOW, WHAT WOULD YOUR PERSONAL DREAM ALBUM ENTAIL? WHAT'S THE VISION FOR YOUR DREAM ALBUM?
My dream album covers all the bases of my character. The adventurous free-spirit, the hardened hopeless romantic, the storyteller and everything in between. If I get the impression that all the songs are different but my voice is distinct throughout, I’ll be happy. I guess my dream album would be an album I never get tired of listening to.
TO FINISH OFF, CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR FUTURE PROJECTS AND WHAT THE AUDIENCE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO?
I’ve been taking a lot of postgraduate trips! From Nashville and New York to London, I’ve also been recording and writing. I’m trying to churn out EPs while they’re still relevant to me and develop this sonic world of mine. I want people to hear “EASHA” and immediately recognize the name. I’m so appreciative of the unwavering support I’ve gotten and adore my listeners so much. In return, I would say the audience can definitely look forward to a whole lot of good music and opportunities to support.
CRAFTING SPACES ZIMMER90
BY ARIELLA NIKITA LAI
ZIMMER90
THROUGH SOUND
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEREK HE-YAU KWOKE
ZIMMER90 aren’t just making music—they’re building worlds. The German duo, Finn and Josch, merge their passions for design, art, and music to create immersive sonic spaces. Their latest EP, What Love Is , exemplifies this vision, offering tracks that feel like rooms filled with emotion—soft synths, disco-inspired basslines, and percussion-heavy beats all layered beneath Josch’s distinct, velvety voice.
The title track became 2023’s unofficial anthem, soundtracking millions of social media recap videos and resonating deeply with listeners worldwide. Beyond the music, Zimmer90’s sleek, cohesive aesthetic transforms their art into a full sensory experience.
Following a breakout year with 28 sold-out headline shows and over 40 festival appearances, Zimmer90 is taking their craft to the next level. They’ve embarked on their first European tour and play festivals across the globe in 2024 and continue to rise as they prepare for their bright future. For Finn and Josch, their music isn’t just something to hear—it’s a place to feel.
IT’S WONDERFUL TO GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO SIT DOWN AND HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH YOU. IT MUST’VE BEEN A BUSY YEAR FOR YOU WITH THE RELEASE OF THE EP AND YOUR HEADLINING SHOWS ACROSS THE EU, CONGRATULATIONS! HOW HAS 2024 BEEN TREATING YOU SO FAR? WHAT HAVE BEEN THE HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR YEAR SO FAR? It was crazy for us being on the road so much and writing music at the same time. We had to get in the groove of everything but it worked out pretty well in the end. We were so grateful to meet so many people and enjoy seeing those beautiful cities for the first time.
I ABSOLUTELY ADORE YOUR SONGS, “WHAT LOVE IS” WAS DEFINITELY A MUSIC HIGHLIGHT FOR ME, ESPECIALLY THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER. WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION AND STORY BEHIND THE EP?
Thank you so much. We like to think of our songs as little fragments or stories. When we are writing we don’t really predefine the theme— we just go with the songs and do what feels right in each moment.
“What Love Is” is kind of a summary of all those different moments and emotions that we had in the past time and it all came together pretty well in the end.
WHAT DIFFERED IN THE PROCESS FOR WHAT LOVE IS COMPARED TO YOUR PREVIOUS EPS SUCH AS FALL BACK AND SPACES ? HOW DO YOU THINK YOU’VE EVOLVED AS AN ARTIST?
A big part of it has been our ability to trust in our intuition and not get overwhelmed by insecurity. I think we were pretty good at just focusing on ourselves and creating the music that we love and not getting distracted by outer forces, which can be very difficult these days with social media being present all the time.
THE MUSIC THAT YOU CREATE HAS A VERY ATMOSPHERIC, DREAM-LIKE, EVEN ETHEREAL QUALITY TO IT THAT HAS THE ABILITY TO BRING LISTENERS BACK TO CERTAIN MEMORIES, MOMENTS, AND VIBES. WHO OR WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO DELVE INTO THIS SPECIFIC VEIN OF SOUND?
It’s hard to pinpoint where those feelings come from. I think by being ourselves, the sound naturally evolves in each song. We want our music to feel open. At the same time, we want it to create a space for listeners to feel safe and seen in.
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL SONGWRITING AND PRODUCING SESSION LOOK LIKE FOR ZIMMER90?
We get together in a beautiful space and go with the flow. Oftentimes, one person brings an idea and then we work on it collectively until we are both satisfied with it.
THE VIRAL CHOKEHOLD THAT “WHAT LOVE IS” HAD ON TIKTOK IN 2023 BROUGHT MORE ATTENTION TO YOU AS A BAND AND AS ARTISTS, HOW DO YOU THINK IT HAS INFLUENCED YOU AS A BAND OR WAS THERE ANYTHING YOU LEARNED FROM HAVING A SONG BLOWUP THAT WAY?
It was crazy because we couldn’t grasp what it actually meant. All those numbers can be confusing sometimes because they feel abstract in a way. What
we like most is seeing actual people coming to our shows and sharing a beautiful night of singing and dancing with them. Also, we are very grateful that more people know about us now and could connect with our music.
WHAT ARE THE STORIES BEHIND “SUMMER RAIN” AND “UNDER THE MOON” ESPECIALLY WITH THE DIFFERENTIAL CONNOTATIONS OF SPACE AND BEING SURROUNDED AND CONTAINED BY IT? We love to think of our songs as spaces. The songs came out very naturally. We wrote them both in one day and I think they just contain the feeling of each session and day that they were made.
HOW DOES WORKING IN THE MEDIUMS OF DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE INFLUENCE YOUR MUSIC AND WHY CHOOSE THESE SPECIFIC MEDIUMS TO BECOME ADDITIONS TO YOUR MUSIC? It just keeps things interesting for us. We think of Zimmer90 as an art project and not just a band. It can be so refreshing and inspiring to confront yourself with other forms of culture and artistic expression like architecture and design. Coming back to music with those other fields in the background just makes it very exciting. We’d love to do an exhibition that connects sound and space sometime in the future…
HOW DOES “FEEL LIKE WE USED TO” FIT INTO THE NARRATIVE YOU’VE SERVED IN “WHAT LOVE IS?” OR IS IT A NEW SONG FOR A NEW ERA OF YOUR MUSIC?
It definitely feels like a new chapter for us. A lot of time had passed when we wrote “feel like we used to.” It was great because the song just came to us after a few months of not creating so intensely. But in the end, it’s one more piece of the big puzzle that we’re trying to finish that is our discography.
IS AN ALBUM POTENTIALLY BREWING IN THE NEAR FUTURE? OR MAYBE A TOUR OUTSIDE OF EUROPE?
We are working on an album right now and it’s going really well! The songs feel very special and we are trying to put it out there as soon as possible. Also, we are playing our first US Tour in November! (NYC, LA, San Francisco, Chicago) Can’t tell you how excited we already are!
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU LOOK FORWARD TO FOR THE REMAINING MONTHS OF 2024 AND TOWARDS 2025 AND BEYOND?
Definitely the US Tour and finishing our first album.
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BEHIND THE COVER
Songwriting is definitely how I process emotions in my life.
