Los Angeles Artist Spotlight: Hooveriii

Los Angeles based psych rock outfit Hooveriii (pronounced “Hoover Three”) are gearing up for the release of their sophomore album, Water for The Frogs on April 9, 2021. The album was recorded in Station House in Echo Park with in-house engineer and producer, Mark Rains, and is also their debut for the psych rock label, The Reverberation Appreciation Society. The band cites influences from Iggy Pop’s The Idiot, David Bowie’s Berlin trilogy and Soft Machine in the making of Water for The Frogs. 

Originally a solo drum machine project by brainchild Bert Hoover, Hooveriii has now evolved into a six member band, crafting their own unique brand of psych and space rock. The current lineup includes Bert Hoover (guitar and vocals), Gabe Flores (lead guitar and vocals), Kaz Mirblouk (bass and synths), James Novick (synths), Casey Sullivan (vocals and synths) and Owen Barret (drums). The band toured in Europe for the first time in 2019, which greatly influenced the direction of their new album. Bert Hoover shares, “seeing all the old cities and beautiful landscapes while becoming closer as a band had a huge impact on this album. A lot of our favorite music came from the Krautrock scene in Germany from the late 60’s-70’s, and when we had a day off in Furth, Germany, we spent most of it writing the record,” he continues, “we were able to rehearse in an old German bunker that has been converted to rehearsal space. It definitely had a strange energy that helped give this album light.”

The lead single from the upcoming album “Control” is filled with nostalgic psych sounds with plenty of black and white bobbing heads. Hooveriii share their thoughts and inspiration for the song: “LA can be very discouraging when people prioritize image and lifestyle over their art. I think anyone can be guilty of this. LA is a cool fucking city and it’s really easy to get caught up in the web. If you spend too much time looking in the mirror, you’ll never leave your house.” Watch the video directed by Rocío Mesa and prepare to head bob along. You may even get a hankering to head to the store for some milk and bread:

“Control” is the only track available to stream off the new album currently, but here’s hoping more tracks will be teased before release date.

Hooveriii’s previous work is comprised of spacey jams, but with a sense of levity and optimism that differentiates from a heavier single like “Control.” Listen to the upbeat, spacey and ethereal song “Bird on a Wire” to compare and contrast:

The band have expressed that they can’t wait to get back into the studio and start releasing multiple albums a year and touring constantly. “That sounds like a dream,” Hoover says, “playing live is when we get to have fun. Some songs end up changing, growing new arms and legs. Learning how to walk on their own.”

Ilana Tel-Oren: Senior Editor at mxdwn.com. Ilana is a freelance social media marketer living in Long Beach, CA. She enjoys learning the ins and outs of marketing, and taking on new projects like “Indiecation,” a music blog website she personally created, designed, markets, and writes for. She obtained her BM in Oboe Performance at CSU, Long Beach, and recently received her Master’s Degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. In her spare time, Ilana enjoys listening to music and attending live concerts, playing the oboe, and writing for her blog www.theindiecation.com.
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