Inner Wave Perform At White Oak Music Center February 25th

by Timothy Monger

Los Angeles indie quintet Inner Wave play a bright, experimental mix of psych-pop and synthwave that earned them a significant streaming presence and die-hard regional following in the mid-2010s, thanks in part to songs like “American Spirits” and “Eclipse.” The group’s quirky but catchy songs and combined Filipino, Colombian, and Mexican heritage have helped make them underground stars in the area’s Latinx indie rock community alongside acts like Chicano Batman and Cuco. Their 2017 album, Underwater Pipe Dreams, proved to be somewhat of a breakout, earning critical acclaim and increasing their visibility on a national level. They followed it in 2021 with the ambitious Apoptosis.

A group of childhood friends from Inglewood who began playing together in their teens, the band consists of Pablo Sotelo (vocals/guitar), Jean Pierre Narvaez (bass/vocals), Chris Runners (keys/vocals), Elijah Trujillo (guitar/ keys), and Luis Portillo (drums). An early diet of bands like the Arctic Monkeys, the Strokes, and Gorillaz fueled their imagination as they learned their instruments and began writing songs together during high school in the late 2000s. By the time they began releasing music in 2012, Inner Wave had transformed themselves into a psychdriven indie pop band with a lo-fi bent and a strong D.I.Y. presence. A series of self-released singles and EPs paved the way for their first full-length, 2013’s III. The album’s bubbly lo-fi single, “American Spirits,” went on to notch millions of streams on major streaming platforms.

The exploratory Sun Transmissions followed a year later as Inner Wave continued to build buzz as a live band. A steady stream of signals throughout early 2017 preceded the August release of their ambitious third album, Underwater Pipe Dreams. An hour long and boasting 18 tracks, the experimental set was followed in 2018 by similarly toned companion EP, Underwater +, further bolstering their reputation as a creative and engaging act. Inner Wave returned in 2019 with the warped but sunny EP wya, and a concert album, Live at the Fonda, Los Angeles, 2019. A fourth studio album finally materialized in 2021, Apoptosis, another eclectic and sophisticated set, partly recorded live in the studio and completed in quarantine by singer/guitarist Pablo Sotelo.