L.A. Girlfriend is very cool. She is cool in an Ingrid Goes West kind of way. She is self-aware: she knows her social media is a highlight reel and she pokes fun at it, but also plays right into the hands of the impressionable people who follow her. She is perfect, but not too perfect. She shows you just enough of her cuts and bruises to keep you interested.
L.A. Girlfriend is the brain child of Sydney Banta. A little bit shoegaze and a little bit electro-pop, the dark-wave, 80's tinged tracks make you feel like you're floating in a mad, hallucinogenic haze. On her latest video "Wild," Banta says:
'Wild' is a song built upon conflicting elements, like a heavy disco beat and an aggressive tone in lyric. I had the idea to visually represent it with a "Cheer Coven" – a group of girls that are on the same team, but very much against one another. It's a subtle nod to the theme of duality that runs throughout REGINA and was an opportunity to play with symbolism that I've embraced as an artist over the years.
The video for "Wild" is more of that self-aware, social media age cool. Sporting ripped denim, mini-skirts, a little 90's velcro and vampire fangs, the girl gang bounce around the streets, constantly sizing one another up at the same time as they are performing synchronized movement. It's very Urban Outfitters, but only on the surface. Underneath the glam and is a complex group of women who feel and think.
Connect with L.A. Girlfriend: Twitter | Instagram | Soundcloud