Kevin Bronson on October 27th, 2017

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Cody Michael Wilson launched the rock trio LVLS back in 2013, inspired by ’90s alternative heroes Nirvana, Pixies and Pavement — but, he adds humbly, “that does not in anyway claim to be in the same breath as those fantastic artists.” Except for the 2013 single “Regret,” which earned some air time on KROQ, LVLS didn’t earn much notice, and while juggling a day job in TV, Wilson played in other projects, including a stint in the crazy Florida punk band Wolf-Face. In 2016, though, he was on tour when he learned his mother was diagnosed with brain cancer. He returned home to care for her until she died last year. “I was humbled by the fragility of life,” Wilson says. “This gave me a lot to think and write about. I decided to head back out west and try something new. I love my job in television, and learning this new skill has reinvigorated my passion for music. I started writing more, and really giving a shit about what I was doing, taking the time to make it right.”

He rebooted LVLS with childhood friends Roxy Evensen (bass, vocals) and Mikey Bostinto (drums, guitar, vocals), and the trio has finished work on a full-length album with a punny title, “Dream Cleaver.” The album, produced, mixed and mastered by Ryan Metcalf, will be out on Dec. 13. The first single is titled “Empath Bubblebath,” and you need to go no further than the song’s abrasive guitars and consciously messy percussion to know that Wilson’s heart and ears are in the right place. For a band that lists its influences as “1990-1998,” this falls kind of early in that timeline.

||| Stream: “Empath Bubblebath”