Kevin Litrow's 60 Watt Kid are one of the best bands from the OC/LB area who never reached household-name status. About six years ago, Litrow formed 60 Watt Kid as a side project to his main squeeze, the sometime-Santa Ana-based punk/dance/epileptic sound frenzy Dance Disaster Movement. Since then, 60 Watt Kid have evolved into Litrow's main project, and it's still a frenzy of sound—just not herky-jerky in the way Dance Disaster Movement was. The band—Litrow, Derek Thomas and Long Beach drummer Dylan Wood—make precise use of layers of dreamy, atmospheric vocals, looping guitar riffs, swirling reverb and song dynamics as an instrument—every moment their songs slowed down, sped up, or turned quiet or cacophonous was deliberately composed. The band's music has been called “intergalactic pop,” and while it's true their songs make you feel like you're floating in space, they're definitely still melodic and danceable.
