Artist Spotlight
Taleen Kali

How would you describe your music to someone who’s never heard of you before, and who’s playing in your band currently?

We're like a goth Blondie infused by dreamy shoegaze and L.A. punk.

Can you share how you first started creating music and what drew you to perform and write in the styles you do today?

I would write songs on the piano when I was just a kid taking classical lessons, and yet the music playing at home was all Armenian, Arabic, Ethiopian, and Beatles, Madonna, Ace of Base, 90s radio so there was an earful going on. Then I got my first guitar as a teenager and all I wanted to do was start a band someday. Since I had so much classical training it took me a while to let the creativity flow and the punk spirit and Eastern sounds to break through. So I think a lot of my writing style comes from a deep reverence and love of music that's trying to break the mold of Western standards.

What artists, genres, or personal experiences have most inspired your sound, from shoegaze and punk to more experimental elements?

L.A. punk, C86 bands, shoegaze bands, goth, no wave, riot grrrl, and new wave are all a huge part of what inspires our sound. 

You run your own label (Dum Dum Records). What inspired you to start your own label, and how has that independence influenced your creative and professional journey?

It all started as a zine on the floor of my apartment when I was going to art school in Chicago and was homesick for L.A. I loved how tight knit the zine and band community was in Chicago, especially since I hadn't yet found my creative community in L.A. and i was eager to finish school, come home, and start booking shows and making zines in my hometown. When the pandemic happened and a lot of bands in L.A. broke up or lost their labels or needed a new home, I expanded Dum Dum Zine into Dum Dum Records and the rest is history!

How would you describe the ethos of Dum Dum Records, and what kind of artists or work are you hoping to cultivate through it?

Dum Dum Records is all about community building and experimentation and we're always trying to work with artists whose mission it is to cultivate both.

You have a distinct visual identity with your merchandise, which includes sunglasses, cassettes and candles. How do you approach the design process for your merchandise, and what story do you want your merch to tell?

I always like to create things of immense beauty that I'd want to own but can't find out there in the world, especially in big business. For the life of me I couldn't find a perfect pair of sunglasses that was affordable that I'd also be okay with accidentally stepping on or losing on tour. And that's exactly the kind of merch I like to make. Stuff that's fun and functional at the same time instead of just your standard band tee. In terms of story, I like to nod to my Armenian culture and the mystical properties of the evil eye, so a lot of our merch has evil eye elements. And of course flowers. Where would we be without flowers?

Besides music, you’re involved in zines, poetry, and visual art. How do these other mediums feed into or influence your musical output?

It all flows together. Sometimes the zines inspire songs, or the songs inspire poetry or the photos become part of the visual story for an album. It's a beautiful thing.

How do you translate the emotional intensity of your recorded music into your live performances? What can fans expect from your shows in 2026?

This one totally goes both ways. I feel like the emotional intensity of the songs informs the visceral energy of performing live and interacting with the amazing people at our shows, which also leaks into our recordings and turns into a feedback loop. 2026 shows are gonna be a lot of fun because we'll be playing all new songs for the first time, songs that we've been making demos of and can't wait to share with everyone.