R the Straights OK? Not anymore. Coming at you from Oakland, CA is Pillowprince with a new album, pretty, baby!

Spring is here. Get out in the sun and thaw your bones while basking in the sweet sounds of queergaze. This fuzz-pedal-drenched four-track album will have you buzzing -- much like a bee would. Because it’s spring. Do you get where I’m going with this?

Released on April 25, 2025, this album reminds us of what made us fall in love with dream pop, shoegaze, doom gaze, and indie rock in general. It is a breath of fresh nostalgia.

Track 1, titled “R the Straights OK,” drives like a dream. This track is saturated in the classic suburban dilemmas of queer longing; what if we have babies who can grow up together like we did? What if we are stuck here in these roles forever? What if we cheat on our husbands with each other?

Oakland's Pillowprince

Track 2, titled “Babybird,” might have you laying on the ground and rolling around in modest despair. Far from the sounds of the first track, the shoegaze resonance will have you feeling 16 years old listening to My Bloody Valentine for the first time. Olivia Lee (vocals, guitars) and Asha Wells (bass, backing vocals) lull the listener into a trance of tranquility with slight unease.

Back to form, track 3, “Mercurial,” brings us back to our feet and into our bodies. I’ll give $5 to anyone who can stay completely still while this song is playing. Behind the feel good sounds of this song are lyrics that hit home: sometimes being brave means trying again tomorrow. 

Coming full circle, the final track, titled “Care About,” is a perfect mix of pondering your existence and wanting to let go of your inhibitions (feel the rain on your skin, etc). Sea Snyder (drums) performs a slow lift off that will have the listener gripped until the very end. This is a song that is begging to be heard live.

If you caught them in San Francisco on May 3rd or Santa Cruz on May 4th, consider yourself lucky. If you didn’t, fear not! You can catch them at The Independent on June 28th for Outside Lands x Dolores' presents
Bay Pride Amplified!

Follow them on instagram @pillowprinceband for more updates and to see snippets of their live shows. You’ll be glad that you did. Until then, sweet dreams, dreamers.