What do you get when you put together four teenagers, a love of rock music and stylish, and attention-grabbing outfits? The Linda Lindas!

The up-and-coming rock band has garnered media attention in the past year not only for their music, but also for the style they play in. According to the band’s website, the Linda Lindas’ music pulls from, “punk, power pop, and new wave.” and they have been hailed as being part of a revival in punk music.

The group consists of Mila de la Garza (drums), Lucia de la Garza (guitar and vocals), Eloise Wong (bass guitar and vocals), and Bela Salazar (guitar and vocals). In May 2021, they first hit the scene when their song “Racist, Sexist Boy” went viral after a performance at LA Public Library. The song itself addresses an unfortunate incident that occurred between Mila and a boy at school. Before the band performs, Mila tells the story of her classmate whose father had told him to avoid Chinese people and that, when she told him that she herself was Chinese, he avoided her.

Outside of live performances (including an ongoing tour in the US and eventually Japan), the band has been featured in the feminist teen film Moxie, and The Claudia Kishi Club, a documentary based on the character of the same name from The Baby-Sitter’s Club books.

Ranging between ages 11 and 17, the members of the Linda Lindas embody the wild, be-yourself attitude associated with the rock genre while still feeling like a group of school friends jamming out and having fun. Not one member is designated as the “leader,” as is the usual in rock groups. They instead swap singers between songs, which allow the different girls to show off their vocal skills.

On April 8, their debut album Growing Up was released under Epitaph Records.

Its cover depicts the band as anthropomorphic cats—a nod to their beloved pet cats.

Their lyrics reflect the teenage experience with a sincerity that could only come from real teens and not a studio songwriter separate from the band themselves. Within their songs, they sing about topics including self-doubt (“Oh!”), the uncertainty of growing up (“Growing Up”), and racism (the viral hit “Racist, Sexist Boy”).

Despite singing about topics that could hit personally for listeners, the Linda Lindas’ music is infused with a sense of friendship and girl power that is grounded in optimism, rather than hardcore angst. They don’t shy away from not-so perfect aspects of growing up, but they’ve got your back, and how we can feel confident in knowing that things will be alright.

But the Linda Lindas also enjoy writing songs that don’t center around a particular issue and allow their fun-loving personalities to take center stage. The track “Nino” is a simple, yet enjoyable romp detailing the secret life of Bela’s—the eldest member at 17—eponymous cat. “Gentleman by day / Hunter by night,” Bela sings.

In a world trying to piece itself back together during the COVID-19 pandemic, Growing Up brings us a much-needed dose of comfort and get-up-off-your-feet-and-dance rock. Most of the songs don’t run longer than three minutes, making for a quick, but enjoyable listening experience perfect for replays.