The White Apple

It’s interesting that Los Angeles’ of Verona refers to its music as futuristic rock when its moniker was inspired by one William Shakespeare’s oldest plays, Two Gentlemen of Verona. Led by singer/songwriter Mandi Perkins, the band blends electronica with a timeless take on alternative pop and forward-thinking production, making music that could score a soundtrack to a film that takes place in the not-too-distant future. On the band's debut, she inflects a bit like Berlin's Terri Nunn on the instantly catchy opening song, “Castles.” That track sets the tone for The White Apple while innovating the electro-pop genre. Perkins’ voice takes on a smokier timbre in the more subdued follower, “Match,” as she coos like The Cardigans’ Nina Persson over a backdrop bubbling with beeps and blips and dark ambience. Even when “Dark in My Imagination” borrows heavily from ‘Til Tuesday’s “Voices Carry,” Perkins’ seductive singing over a background of near-industrial kinetic musicianship gives the song an icy, dystopian feel. The cinematic title track makes good use of a deep wobbling bass without going full dubstep.