The Linda Lindas
Left to Right: Bella Salazar, Lucia de la Garza, Eloise Wong, and Mila de la Garza Photo: Krista Schlueter
Punk rock is alive and well.
The punk rock scene has always been contentious. Who started punk rock? The Sex Pistols, or The Ramones? My answer to the age-old question is; who cares?
Punk rock is more of an attitude than a genre of music. Of course, there are tell-tale sounds that make punk rock music identifiable among others. Loud and proud bass lines plastered against the chainsaw buzz of electric guitars, and all of it while searing vocals are projected past a killer beat banged out on a simple 5-piece drum kit. The Linda Lindas have all of this and they haven’t even graduated high school.
Lucia de la Garza (Guitar/Vocals) and her cousin Eloise Wong (Bass/Vocals).
Mila (11), Eloise (13), Lucia (14), and Bela (17) are The Linda Lindas. The all-girl band has been setting fire to the world of punk rock since their electric performance of “Racist, Sexist Boy”, at the Los Angeles Public Library. A library might not be associated with unforgettable punk rock performances, but Covid does what Covid does. The performance has garnered The Linda Lindas a strong fan base. Their meteoric rise through the ranks of punk rock has landed them a spot with Green Day’s upcoming tour alongside Rancid and The Smashing Pumpkins…not bad for a quartet of pint-sized rockers who cannot even drive themselves to their own gigs.
The sound of The Linda Lindas is anything but amateur. The group jams like seasoned professionals, producing a combination of raw punk sounds that range from Joan Jett to a smash up of new wave power pop. Their latest album, “Growing Up” (2022), displays a sonic disposition that is reminiscent of The Descendants guitar and bass riffs with vocals that are crossed between The Go Go’s and The Runaways. Fans of the movie Quiz Lady will recognize their title song, “Growing Up” playing across the end credits, a fantastic finish to a great comedy.
Punk rock is alive and well, and The Linda Lindas have a promising career in it. When iconic groups like Green Day and Rancid are willing to tour with them as their opening act, than any leather jacketed, mosh pitting punk, should be willing to give their latest album “Growing Up”, a fair shot to their headphones and speakers.