Ears Wide Open: Stolen Nova

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Stolen Nova

For most of the 2010s, Westside L.A. native Josh Landau was the chief decibel-raiser in the psych-punk-metal outfit the Shrine, who released three albums, toured the world and drew admirers in the skateboarding and art communities (Shepard Fairey was a booster).

Last year, after spending some time in London, Landau launched Stolen Nova, whose music draws equally from the glam-, funk- and psych-rock universes (he cites Prince and Tame Impala as influences) but is no less audacious. Last year, when Stolen Nova’s debut single “Vortex” was released, he clambered up on a billboard on Sunset Boulevard for some guerilla shredding.

On Friday, Landau released his third single, “Lauren Bacall,” which ratchets up the sexy with dirty riffs, a guitar solo and a confession of obsession with a woman who looks like the late screen legend. It’s a song, he says, about “the trials and errors of being single, having one-night stands … and then love at first sight.”

British filmmaker Charlie Denis directs the wildly imaginative video.

||| Stream: “Lauren Bacall”

||| Also: Check out “Clouds” and “Vortex”