The Real, Real Linda Lindas

Grrl Rock prevails with L.A.'s next generation of Punk-Pop

WORDS Maggie Yates

Google “The Linda Lindas” and one of the first questions that pops up as you scroll through the results is “Are the Linda Lindas real?” That may seem odd until you are introduced to the concept of the band: a power-pop/punk quartet of teen girls as young as 12. Maybe they’re a one-hit wonder, or a publicity stunt for an upcoming film, or the concept for a television special aimed at middle schoolers?
 
Not only are The Linda Lindas real, but they are also really, really good. Bela Salazar, Eloise Wong, Lucia de la Garza, and Mila de la Garza, who compose the group and hail from Los Angeles, played Campbell Hall on Saturday, October 15 to a full house of adoring fans (some as young as elementary school-age).

Presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures, The Linda Lindas’ brand of power-pop was fun and accessible; stylistically these players are well on their way to being a punk band of tangible substance. Sure, sometimes they sang about their cats, but it is certainly not out of the ordinary for punk bands to have ridiculous odes to the things they love. More often, the Linda Lindas sang about feelings of falling short, the tribulations of growing up, and of course, the small-mindedness of “racist, sexist boys”; all of which speak to the emotional complexity of the American teenager.