Kera Armendariz’s musical evolution has been a thing of beauty. They broke onto the scene in Southern California in 2013 as Kera and the Lesbians with the single “Nailbiter”, a gritty, sultry track layered with sharp-edged horns, tambourines, and their unmistakable voice, which breaks with intensity in all the right places. A cleaned-up version of the track made the cut on their debut album a few years later. Check out the original version of “Nailbiter” below:

Kera and the Lesbians was an ironic moniker given that the band was composed of Kera, who is queer, and a rotating cast of cis men. (They also have the twitter handle @thelesbians, a fact that this queer writer will always be in awe and a little bit jealous of). The band put out their self-titled debut album in 2016, and it features the bluesy freak-folk tracks “November” and “Witch’s Tit”, one or both of which your ex-girlfriend probably put on a playlist for you around that time.

Since then, they’ve dropped “and the Lesbians” and begun releasing new music under their given name. As Kera, their work takes a softer, more melancholy approach without losing their signature vocal style and their penchant for foot-shuffling rhythms. 2018’s Fall.Apart. is a burst of languorous melodies, shakers, and fuzzed-out vocal effects that melt each track into a thick, syrupy-sweet delight. Lead single “I’m Late” features LA indie-folk band The Wild Reeds, who provide their signature harmonies for an added touch of depth.

Their latest track, “Bright Future Ahead“, is a laid-back, shimmering track drenched in reverb and chorus effects. It features backing vocals by freak-folk icon Devendra Banhart, whose voice adds another layer of depth and intrigue to an already gorgeous track. Armendariz donated all profits for the track to Trans Lifeline, a crisis hotline created by and for trans people, and by June they raised over $700 USD for the cause.

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They’ve got another new single dropping August 16, and we at HighClouds are very excited, to say the least. In the meantime, we’re honored to present you with a QUEEROPEDIA playlist curated by KERA. About this selection, they stated:

[su_quote]I made this playlist because growing up I experienced feeling a lot of shame of my identity and found it hard to connect with many of the up and coming artists at the time. I didn’t see myself represented in their work, but now I find it refreshing to see more representation of the LGBTQ community in the music industry. I hope you find a connection in some of these songs, and continue to uplift underrepresented artists.[/su_quote]

All the previous episodes of Queeropedia are available on our Spotify profile.