Ears Wide Open: LEX

1

lexpressshot

If it’s bold these days to create synth-pop without laptops and other assorted gadgetry, someone ought to carve statuettes of Los Angeles foursome LEX. The quartet’s self-titled EP embraces the sounds of vintage analog synths, a glossy feel that, combined with singer Alexia de la Rocha’s come-hither vocals, recall the long nights and short mornings of disco dreams. De La Rocha helms one of the band’s triad of synths, along with Leah Chisholm and Alicia Villareal, while drummer Jessica Ragsdale handles the rhythms. In making the EP, the quartet worked with producer Peter Franco, one of the engineers on Daft Punk’s Grammy-winning “Random Access Memories,” who coaxes a darkly romantic (and, if you were around for first-wave disco, deeply nostalgic) vibe from the band. In concert, LEX plays everything live onstage; their upcoming show at the Los Angeles Theater Center, in fact, will feature set design by Martin Phillips (Daft Punk) and costumes from the Zamora Sisters.

||| Stream: “Beam” and “Stare”

||| Live: LEX plays Wednesday, July 1, at the Los Angeles Theater Center (514 S. Spring St.). They also play a free show Saturday (6 p.m.) at Space 15 Twenty in Hollywood and perform at the LA Pride Festival in West Hollywood on June 12.