Las Calabasas Embrace Their Evolution With New EP 'Shifting Gears'

Indie rock band Las Calabasas is stepping into a new creative chapter with their six-track EP, Shifting Gears, a release that explores heartbreak, love, addiction, and the complicated emotions that come with personal growth. Drawing from early 2000s garage rock, Spanish rock, and alternative influences, the project represents a deliberate evolution for the five-piece as they continue developing their identity.

Formed in late 2024, Las Calabasas consists of Milton, Nathan, Raymond, Ricky, and Liz. With influences ranging from The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys to gospel music, the group brings together an interesting collection of musical backgrounds that refuses to sit comfortably within one genre.

Shifting Gears features six tracks: “Daydreaming,” “Cartoon Music,” “Evening Eyes,” “Midnight Drive,” “Two Shots To Happiness,” and “Laguna Marin (Liz Diez Version).” Together, the songs introduce different emotional perspectives, reflecting the band's intention to create music that listeners can connect with regardless of their mood.

What's particularly encouraging about this project is the band's willingness to move beyond its previous sound rather than settle into something familiar. There's a difference between having influences and allowing those influences to dictate your identity, and Las Calabasas appear determined to establish something distinctly their own.

The EP also places considerable importance on lyrical interpretation, giving listeners room to find personal meaning within its themes.

With touring plans underway and their official debut album anticipated in spring 2027, Shifting Gears marks an important step forward for Las Calabasas. It's a promising introduction to a band that understands artistic growth requires taking creative risks.

'Shifting Gears' represents a conscious departure from your earlier sound. What specifically made you realize it was time to evolve creatively, and were there any disagreements within the band about the direction you wanted to take?   There was a moment in the creative process in which nothing was fitting correctly. In that moment, I decided to put everything down and ask myself, why do we write music, and for whom. I then decided to tap into our Hispanic cultures as our influence and not shy away from it, such as Chicano rap, Mana, Grupo Frontera, and much more. The band was thrilled to be able to grow and see a change of direction.

Your influences range from The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys to Spanish rock and gospel music, which is an interesting combination. How do five musicians with different creative instincts find common ground without compromising what makes each of you unique? We usually hear each other out and are not afraid to speak our minds about our music taste. We are a family first and foremost, which is why we have the liberty to suggest different ideas and come to a common consensus. Our music taste doesn’t define us, but it does allow us to keep an open mind and always try to see the other bandmates' perspective. It’s actually really fun to bring new ideas to the table and see how we can improve them.

The EP explores everything from heartbreak and addiction to love and finding happiness in difficult circumstances. How much of the songwriting comes from personal experiences, and is there a particular track that was especially difficult or vulnerable to put into the world? I would say 100% of the songwriting process is from personal experiences and experiences from friends and stories we’ve heard. “ Laguna Marin” was vulnerable to put out there because of the lyricism behind it. It came to me when I was in a dark place, not knowing whether a relationship was worth staying in or not- those tough nights. But once I recorded the demo, I was proud to look back at it and allow the world to view it and hope they resonate with it.

You formed Las Calabasas in late 2024, and you're already preparing for your debut full-length album in spring 2027. What have you learned about yourselves as musicians during this relatively short time together, and what do you think separates Las Calabasas from other emerging indie rock bands? We learned to believe in each other and to believe in what we are doing. We have written many songs throughout these two short years, and every time we sit down and jam out or start the songwriting process, we continue to push our boundaries and expand our sounds. What truly separates us is that we aren’t stuck to one genre; we do indie rock, garage rock, and we have plans to play reggaeton-inspired music. We are different because we don’t shoot for the norm; we play our music to our taste, and we hope people love it as much as we do.

There's been a noticeable resurgence of interest in the garage rock and indie sounds of the early 2000s. Do you think today's independent rock scene is genuinely pushing the genre forward, or are too many artists relying on nostalgia? Where do you see Las Calabasas fitting into that conversation? I believe that this genre has a lot to offer, and many people look towards nostalgia due to the effect of the great memories it brings to us all. Music tends to be a rollercoaster, and this time around, garage rock is hitting another all-time high, and I’m just excited for people to hear what not only inspired us but has inspired many musicians and artists throughout these past decades.