There’s a particular kind of Los Angeles myth that never really fades: the Bukowski-soaked dive bars, the cracked sidewalks that run past mid-century bungalows, the smell of the Pacific rolling in through the basin. For the Allah-Las, that myth isn’t nostalgia for its own sake, but a living current they keep returning to, a well of inspiration that feels as endless as the city itself.
Formed in 2008 by friends who met working at LA’s beloved Amoeba Music record store, the Allah-Las — Miles Michaud, Pedrum Siadatian, Spencer Dunham and Matthew Correia — quickly became one of LA’s defining modern psych outfits. Their self-titled debut album arrived in 2012, all hazy reverb and garage-tinged melody, followed by Worship the Sun, Calico Review, LAHS, and last year’s Zuma 85. Over five albums, the band has pushed their jangly foundation outward, folding in everything from surf twang to cinematic textures, each record a quiet reinvention.
“We were all friends before starting the band,” Michaud tells PureHoney. “So, whenever any tensions arose, there was always a bigger picture involved, bigger than just the livelihood of the band. It was the livelihood of our friendships, and that’s what brought us closer over the years.” That closeness has kept their sound adventurous without losing cohesion. “We don’t try to make a monolithic sound,” Michaud adds. “We experiment and broaden our horizons, and hopefully the horizons of our listeners too.”
Much of that experimentation is rooted in Los Angeles itself. “We’ve always been fascinated with history, especially the history of LA,” Michaud says. “We’re very nostalgic for old Hollywood and the different eras of LA history. There’s this endless well of inspiration in the city’s many incarnations.”
That cinematic curiosity bleeds naturally into their music. “We draw a lot of inspiration from Italian film soundtracks,” Michaud admits, a clue to why their songs feel like they already belong to some imagined reel of California history. For the Allah-Las, joined on tour by free jazz-informed psychedelic duo (and fellow Angelenos) Monde UFO, LA is both muse and mirror, always reinventing, always alive, and always worth another listen.
The Allah-Las and Monde UFO perform 8pm Saturday, Oct. 11 at Zey Zey in Miami. allahlas.com ~ Abel Folgar
