LA’s WASI have the best creation story. The band came together in a way that seems like it’d be straight out of a high school movie–vocalists ₵osmo and Jess joined forces when “₵osmo booked a show with a non-existent band. In that 3-week notice, they picked up their instruments for the first time and performed under the moniker The Midol Poppers.”

And the rest is herstory.

The then-duo became a four piece riot-pop band when college friends Garret Harney and Dylan Robin came aboard this year. WASI just dropped their EP Bleed Pop, which you can stream over at Billboard. Or even purchase! Do that!

Of the EP, ₵osmo says, “When we wrote these songs on Bleed Pop we wanted to showcase our feelings of being trapped and silenced that I feel is an underlying fear that a lot of people relate to. At first it’s just a fun POP EP, but these songs carry a lot of weight of our experiences of figuring out our own identity, social injustice that really angers us and just overcoming personal struggles.”

Grab Bleed Pop now (it’s only $5, c’mon do it) and enjoy the infectious electro-pop energy that WASI serve up. They’re a definite welcome addition to the queer music scene, so keep watching! Catch the release party tonight at WASI haunt The Smell in Downtown L.A.

This edition of Artists to Watch should just go without saying for the Dutch artist. In fact, this feature is kind of a hybrid Throwback Thursday. (I’m throwing a lot of colloquial headlines at you here, my apologies.)

But in all seriousness, Jacco Gardner is back in a big way. Signing with Polyvinyl in North America, Gardner will return with the new album Hypnophobia, which follows the 2013’s record Cabinet of Curiosities. I reviewed that sparkler way back when. Now in 2015, Gardner will certainly see his star on the rise.

Ahead of Hypnophobia‘s May release, lead single “Find Yourself” throws us back into Gardner’s brand of 60’s baroque pop. As with his last album, the musician has a magic touch that makes his tracks timeless even though they’re cloaked in a period style. “Find Yourself” is catchy, spiraled daydream, sure to be a career hallmark for Gardner.