It took us a while to get to Big Smile, Greer’s long-awaited debut album. After four years and two EPs, the foursome behind Greer was feeling burnt and disconnected from the songs they’d written and toured. They went their separate ways for more than a year, retreating to their Southern California homes to decompress. When they reconvened in 2023, they went back to where it all started: drummer Lucas Ovalle’s garage. It was in this familiar environment that Ovalle, guitarist lead singer Josiah, guitarist Corbin Jacques, and bassist Seth Thomson learned how to be friends again and shared all the anxieties and revelations they’d endured on hiatus through crafting songs.
Dolo Tonight is defining his own brand of “awkward anti-pop” with a coming-of-age concept album and a mission to bring fun back into music. The LA-by-way-of-New-Jersey artist, born Jonah Rinder, channels his offbeat energy into everything he does, whether he’s breaking the Guinness World Record for filming a music video at the highest-ever altitude or sneaking onto a high school campus to film a cast of elderly folks for a skit or sneaking onto a high school campus to film a cast of elderly folks for a music video. With millions of views on TikTok and a fanbase that appreciates the unconventional, Dolo crafts vibrant, genre-bending tracks inspired by indie pop greats like Phoenix and Passion Pit, all delivered with a colorful, tongue-in-cheek twist. Dolo knows exactly who he’s making music for: the weirdos, the outcasts, and anyone who’s ever felt like an awkward outsider. His infectious choruses and playful lyrics (about everything from crocheting animal sweaters to drunken cake runs at Wawa) reflect his belief that music should be as fun and authentic as possible. “I’m just a weird, fun dude. I love writing weird lyrics,” he says. “I just like saying weird sh*t.” That authenticity shines on his debut album DVD Rental Store, released via Epitaph Records. It’s a nostalgia-inducing, coming-of-age journey packed with bold anthems and buoyant chords. The project, produced with JUNO Award-winner Ryan Spraker, marks a sonic evolution for Dolo, who learned to let go of genre and perfectionism in the studio and embrace his full creative spirit. Inspired by the lost era of video stores, DVD Rental Store plays like a series of vignettes; With stories of underdogs (“Varsity Lip”), heartbreak (“Hate You Now”), friendship (“Two Pens”), and breaking free from expectations (“Live Your Life”). Dolo’s friends helped to shape the album’s visuals and voice skits, adding another layer of authenticity. At its core, Dolo’s music is an invitation: “You’re allowed to have fun. Let yourself have fun!”