Kevin Bronson on October 17th, 2023

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L.A. trio Lone Kodiak — singer-guitarist Dainéal Parker, bassist Daniel Alden and Joshua Harris — have been re-calibrating since before the pandemic, losing most of 2019 when Alden suffered severe injuries in a motorcycle accident and then running headlong into the brick wall that was lockdown.

This, though, has been a year of revival, as the trio embraced an expansive sound, releasing a string of singles (plus an experimental remix of the three-year-old “Make It a Weapon”) that combine their knack for arcing melodies in soundscapes that ebb from tender to heavy.

In July, Lone Kodiak released “The Corner Booth,” the first single from their forthcoming album (release date TBA) and a collaboration with Hunter Leigh Allen of Chase Petra. It was followed by the arena-ready “Let’s Hear for the Kid” and, last week, “Werewolf Girl!,” with a toothy riff leading the song to a grandiose finish.

“A silly concept at face value,” Parker says, “‘Werewolf Girl!’ can be interpreted as a straightforward fairy tale about falling in love with a figure you know you’re doomed to lose (horror stories are often rooted in lost love), and I would never want to interfere with a listener’s take on any given song. I like this take and am happy for it to be the popular conclusion as to the inspiration for it.”

’Tis the season for horror stories, we guess, but there’s nothing grisly about what Lone Kodiak has going on.

||| Stream: “Werewolf Girl,” “Let’s Hear It for the Kid” and “The Corner Booth”

||| Previously: “PDX 97,” Interview (2020) / “Make It a Weapon,” “MNTNSD,” “Someone Else’s Future,” “Calm Down,” “Leap Year,” Ears Wide Open