ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR – JORGE GUERRERO
ORIGINALLY PRINTED ON MARCH 2, 2023
Originally a trio of middle schoolers hailing from Ingleewood, Caifornia, Inner Wave is a band of talented Latinx musicians fusing elements of indie rock, latin beats, hip hop, r&b and even hints of bossa nova. 15 years after their first rehearsal as teenagers and now a quintet of best friends in their 20s, the west coast band is gearing up for yet another tour venturing throughout the country after the release of their fourth studio album, Apoptosis. Though the album release was in late 2021, they have only just begun their tour after complications and difficulties surrounding the effects of COVID-19 on the live music industry. This tour will feature a show at San Antonio’s very own Paper Tiger.
This band of brothers features members Pablo Solteldo on the guitar and vox; Jean Pierre Narvaez on the bass and vox; Chris Runners on the keys and vox; Elijah Trujillo on the guitar and keys; and Luis Portiillo on the drums. Influenced by early 2000s indie rock bands like the Artic Monkeys and The Strokes, Inner Wave rose the ranks in the mid-2010s after garnering millions of streams with their hit song “American Spirits” off their debut album, “III.” This synth-rock love song captured the indie rock landscape by storm, with Pablo’s dreamy yet scratchy vocals, reminiscent of his idols Julian Casablancas and Alex Turner. Following their initial success, the California band took no time in releasing their sophomore album, “Sun Transmission” which included yet another viral hit song, “1 4 2.” This hazy and calming song full of pensive synth leads and catchy guitar riffs emphasized, to the public, that this band had no intention to slow down. Inner Wave soon became one of the west coast’s most beloved up-and-coming Latinx bands.
In 2017, after touring nationwide for yet another album, the band decided to release their most lengthy album to date with 18 soothing songs in their painfully warm LA studio inside a garage known as “The Swamp.” Their album “Underwater Pipe Dreams” quickly became their most beloved; featuring hit songs “Eclipse,” “I’m Aware,” “Buffalo,” “Song 3,” “Nice One,” and a personal favorite: “Bower.” “Bower,” a laid-back track, features a perfect balance of fanciful guitar chords and otherworldly synths, ending with a phantasmagoric guitar solo. Riding off the success of their 3rd studio album, Inner Wave went to tour the country, going abroad to perform at one of Europe’s most popular festivals: Primavera Sound, in Barcelona, Spain.
After taking several years to rest and record more material, the Latinx band released a stream of singles and 2 EP’s, preparing to release their fourth studio album. Unfortunately,COVID took the world unexpectedly and halted their album release before they could launch the album publicly. As the world waited for live music to return, the LA-based quintet decided to release their fourth studio album “Apoptosis,” a year after the pandemic started in late 2021. It featured 12 tranquil and lulling tracks which met fan’s expectations. Freshman marketing major Chris Rodriguez stated, “Apoptosis was everything I could have hoped for after a disappointing 2020.”
Two years after being confined to their LA headquarters, Inner Wave is finishing off their album release tour; after the first part included over 20 dates, a performance at Coachella and a small run through Europe. The 2ndpart of the tour features 20 dates across the country including a stop at San Antonio’s Paper Tiger with support from East Coast dream-pop wonder girl, Jordana and fellow Latinx band, Junior Mesa.