Juliette Pearl Davis and Joachim Polack aren’t just musical collaborators – they’re also life partners. As Pearl & the Oysters, they make songs that speak to eclectic tastes in music and pop culture; as Juju and Jojo, they’re kindred spirits. What began as a high-school friendship in Paris blossomed into a creative and personal relationship that has spanned decades and continents.
In another life, Juliette and Joachim made pop music in Paris but when the opportunity arose, the pair skipped town for the U.S. After four years immersed in the open-minded DIY scene of Gainesville, Florida, Pearl & The Oysters headed to Los Angeles, where they connected with artists including Mild High Club and Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab, and finished up their new record, Coast 2 Coast.
Coast 2 Coast draws on this experience for its colorful cocktail of sounds: the swamps of Florida and sandy L.A. beaches under a mirrorball sun; a radio picking up a faraway broadcast before tuning into an oldies pop station; crashing waves that melt into the sound of Juliette’s white noise machine. It documents Juliette and Joachim’s move across the U.S. and the unfamiliar feeling of being settled, having found a “sense of ‘home’ in one another.” Coast 2 Coast is out 21 April on Stones Throw.
Angel Abaya
Angel Abaya’s upcoming record The Bubble is about different orbs we place ourselves in: groups, cities, relationships, our relationship to self, our relationship to the world. It can be isolating, it can be fulfilling, or somewhere in between. Sometimes you wish to pop it. Sometimes you wish to float within it. You can hear these shifts within the playful use of genre, some moments being light and translucent, others being dark and distorted, but it is all held in a vessel that is honest, raw, heartfelt, and at times fearful.
Angel Abaya is a Filipino-American singer, songwriter, and musician based in Los Angeles. She is set to release her debut album The Bubble on May 5 via Earth Libraries. Angel spent much of the last 7 years growing up in the music scene of Boise, Idaho, as well as playing supporting roles in Boise’s culture and arts community working for local organizations such as Treefort Music Fest, LED, and Boise Rock School.
Athena Garza
A Boise based musician/singer/songwriter with passionate, heavy lyricism drawing from an emotional past. Athena writes seductive, moody dream pop to make you feel vulnerable and uniquely romantic. Her album ‘Hallucinations’ is set to be released in 2023.