Meet The Nextdoors

a brand new band born out of the Los Angeles lockdown

by Maddalena

What happens when two newlywed musicians become locked away in a pandemic? Do they head for divorce court or grab the recording equipment? Lucky for us these two chose the latter. He is a singer/songwriter, front man for Pillow Of Wrongness and one third of the Title Trackers. She is the lovely lady with the cello. Together they formed a brand new duo called The Nextdoors.

Meet Russell Wiener and Mika Larson

When the patina of sorrow colors the creativity of an artist the result is often sublime. Their debut album, Linda Vista, named after Russell’s gone too soon sister, evokes a heart healing depth and prettiness, and yet your feet can’t help but tap to a song like Awaken, with its jaunty tempo juxtaposed over some damn fine lyrics.

Musical Springboards

Some of Russell’s eclectic musical mentors are Tom Petty, the Who, Billy Joel and Jeff Beck. Some of Mika’s musical mentors are Prince, David Bowie and the Ramones. You can hear the perfectly marinated influences in this record. Imitation to me is never the greatest form of flattery; the outcome is often manufactured and dull. The mark of a true artist is to allow it to inspire you to dig deep within your own soul and create something brand new that belongs just to you. The Nextdoors don’t disappoint. Have a listen to Awaken (video below) and then find the rest of the album at www.nextdoorsmusic.com.