On the occasion of their new 26th studio album, The Girl is Crying In Her Latté, the legendary Los Angeles art-pop duo Sparks (brothers Ron and Russell Mael) join the LSQ podcast to talk about the evolution of their sound; their work with producers such as Giorgio Moroder and Todd Rundgren, and why they value being able to produce their own music nowadays; growing up in LA seeing concerts by British Invasion bands they loved including The Kinks and The Who; getting to witness one of Jimi Hendrix’s first LA concerts; what they’re looking forward to playing during their 2023 tours, and more!
Finn Wolfhard – LSQ
Even during the past decade while he was busy with Stranger Things, Finn Wolfhard still has always found time to make music – whether with his teenage bands Calpurnia and The Aubreys, or more recently under his own name, starting with his 2025 album, Happy Birthday, an impressive debut recorded using four- and eight-track cassette. For his wonderful new album, Fire From The Hip, he’s elevated his approach in every possible way, expanding the sonic palette, fidelity and songcraft for a confident collection of indie rock tunes that evoke Wilco and Teenage Fanclub and Faces and of Montreal, among other touchstones. In episode 143 of the LSQ podcast, Finn talks about the making of the album, how he approached it differently from Happy Birthday, and the satisfaction he got from working with a community of artist friends. He also talks about how he first became obsessed with music as a kid thanks to the Beatles and the Ramones. And he shares some details about film he’s working on about The Replacements (based on Bob Mehr’s definitive book about the band), why he relates to bassist Tommy Stinson and a dream he had the other night about frontman Paul Westerberg. Finn is on tour now and has additional dates in the fall. Get tickets here.
LSQ 