BIOGRAPHY
La Luz formed in Seattle in 2012, led by guitarist Shana Cleveland alongside Marian Li Pino, Abbey Blackwell and Katie Jacobson. Cleveland built the band's sound around early surf and rock and roll pioneers like Link Wray, The Ventures and Dick Dale, girl groups such as The Shirelles, and Japanese guitarist Takeshi Terauchi, her biggest guitar influence. The group later relocated from Seattle to Los Angeles. Across albums like It's Alive, Weirdo Shrine, Floating Features, the self-titled La Luz, and News of the Universe, La Luz worked with notable producers including Ty Segall and Dan Auerbach. Weirdo Shrine, produced by Segall, leaned into a live, fuzz-heavy sound and drew positive reviews in The Guardian, Pitchfork and The New York Times. News of the Universe, released on Sub Pop, emerged from Cleveland's experience of a breast cancer diagnosis shortly after becoming a parent.