BERKELEY, Calif. – Student Leslie Rock has made a startling debut in Berkeley’s music scene with innovative singles such as “Start Up” and “Five Tabs” drawing the interest of many ears, even those in the PC Music community.
“At first, I was just trying to open Jupyter Lab for my data science class when my Mac started going brrrr-brrrrr and then the fan started going whrrrrrrtttt too! I was super embarrassed when it happened, until I noticed the people around me vibing to it. The professor even paused the lecture to remark on my avant-garde yet sophisticated production. I have absolutely no idea what that is supposed to mean, but I’ve been too lazy to schedule a Genius Bar appointment – I guess I’m dropping an EP now? My latest single just got a shoutout from this bald guy on Youtube and I think I’m getting an interview with i-D? I’m really just trying to pass my data science class right now.”
Rock’s success has not gone unnoticed. Writers for The Daily Cal (who are obviously recognized and celebrated as the primary music connoisseurs on campus) recently named Rock one of their “Top Artists to Watch in 2023” as part of their spotlight on local musicians. Avid indie scene enjoyers, or at least readers of The Daily Cal, seem to concur with this opinion as well, including fellow student and Mac user, Richard Powell.
When asked what drew Powell to Rock’s music, he struggled to encapsulate his thoughts on this matter.
“It’s hard to describe. It’s just so ethereal. But I think it’s because she seems to come from this great line of independent, vanguard artists who exist at the forefront of experimental music. I can’t really do it justice but I’d say it’s like Gorillaz if Damon Albarn was a sensitive English major from Canada. So Grimes I guess, but more tinged with the concussive moodiness of Aphex Twin and the hypnotic transcendent quality of say, Tame Impala (which, if you didn’t know, is also a one person band). You’ve probably never even heard of half these artists, but trust– if you knew them, you’d get it. Maybe if more people actually grew up and developed their music taste instead of listening to whatever Spotify puts on their Top 100 playlist, then artistry like that wouldn’t go under-appreciated. But continue supporting your industry plants or whatever.”
As of now, Rock is waiting to release her new single “Your Startup Disk is Almost Full” on her Bandcamp and is planning to retake her data science course.