AVALON RELEASES DEBUT EP ‘PERMANENT CALIFORNIAN’; WATCH “DEDICATION HOUR” VIDEO
LA-born and raised Chicana singer, producer, and underground fixture Avalon begins a new chapter with the release of her debut EP, permanent californian, out now on KRO Records. The 5-song prologue is an instant classic and a love letter to LA’s blistering mix of rhinestone glamour and the gritty punk underground. permanent californian blends notes of bellowing grunge, indie sleaze danceability, glam rock electricity, New Wave synths and goth basslines, all into Avalon’s sleek 2025 version of pop-noir. Alongside her newest single “dedication hour”, co-written with George Lewis Jr of Twin Shadow and co-produced by Yves Rothman, comes an official video that sheds another layer of the elusive chanteuse’s mythology. The voyeuristic visual, shot, directed, and edited by Avalon in Los Angeles, offers a keyhole glimpse into the artist’s psyche; smokey late night car rides, palm trees and pink skylines, intimate confessionals whispered in the hills, realization and reconciliation. Avalon shares, “the first time I ever shot with Estevan (Oriol) was the day Art Laboe died. His influence on Chicanismo culturally and musically (with his radio program, Dedication Hour) is hard to overstate. It was always a dream of mine to meet him, thought it only made sense to include this song on the record since the synchronicities added up.”
Earlier this year, Avalon released her first single, “Harder To Reach Than God”, an infectious alterna-pop debut, written by Avalon and co-produced by Grammy-nominated Chris Greatti (Aurora, Yeule, Yves Tumor, Willow). The song dropped alongside an instantly iconic seductive sunrise video (from which Avalon was loosely inspired by 70s cult NY superstar Candy Darling), crescendoing into an extended bonus remix from The Hellp as a bonus finale. “(The song) explores freedom through chaos,” Avalon says. “I want to take something familiar and make it unfamiliar — break it down and rebuild it”.
Avalon announced the release of her debut EP earlier this summer with the darkly euphoric “scream”, a guitar-driven, pop-like slow burn that grapples with the duality of fame and the ensuing emotional whiplash, both cathartic and unfiltered. The accompanying black and white visual, directed by Andrea Riba, is both a nod to the French New Wave greats and Bergman’s Persona. The cinematic narrative is also a beautiful DIY nod to Jungian themes and the late David Lynch, as two different versions of Avalon become entangled in the fight for survival. Of course, the city of Los Angeles is both a character and a backdrop in Avalon’s mythology.
Avalon shared, “This song is about feeling trapped in a persona. It uses the metaphor of being kidnapped and held against your will. The chorus “scream, no one can hear you” is really a reference to both the pressure to maintain relevance and the person underneath the persona not feeling heard or seen by anyone.”
While Avalon’s solo career is just beginning, she has already made her mark on the scene. From her early days sneaking into iconic queer parties—Mustache Mondays, Rhonda, and GHE20G0TH1K—or becoming a fixture in Burger Records’ suburban garage-rock universe, Avalon positioned herself at the convergence of underground movements. Her first live performance as a DJ at Beach Goth in 2014, armed with just an APC and laptop, sparked a mosh pit —a characteristic energy that would become a hallmark of her shows, as most recently evidenced during her late 2024 tour with The Dare. This raw vivacity carries through to her DJ sets, from residencies (opening for the likes of Future and Migos) to Boiler Room debuts, renegade raves, and iconic worldwide debuts at the hottest clubs in Tokyo, Montreal, Paris, and London, as well as a prestigious performance at NYC’s MoMA PS1.
A first-generation Chicana, Avalon’s art weaves together her deeply rooted Mexican heritage with a classic OC upbringing. Avalon’s own music is as cerebral as it is visceral and pulls from the deep well of specters, both imagined, echoed, and innovatively reinvented in a distinctly Warholian manner. Avalon’s work exists as “anti-music music”—where traditional structures are dismantled and reassembled with futuristic intent. Already known as an established and celebrated DJ and underground tastemaker with a cult following, Avalon is the maverick voice of a young generation unwilling to conform and incapable of standing still. To watch her work unfold is to stare directly at the kaleidoscope of LA subcultures—a story reborn yet never rewritten.
permanent californian tracklisting
harder to reach than god
forever
so good
scream
dedication hour
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