The Red Pears

About The Red Pears

The Red Pears started in El Monte, California, which is about as unglamorous a launching point for a band as you can get in the LA area. Henry Vargas on guitar and vocals and Jose Corona on drums formed the core of what became a three-piece after Patrick Juarez joined on bass. They were high school friends making noise in the San Gabriel Valley, putting tracks on Bandcamp, doing the usual suburban crawl of small shows and DIY spaces.

Their sound pulls from enough different places that calling them garage rock or surf punk or indie rock all feel true and incomplete at the same time. There's definitely some Mexican surf rock influence in the guitar work, mixed with post-punk rhythm sections and the kind of lo-fi recording aesthetic that suggests they figured out what worked by doing it themselves. Songs like "Whitewater" and "Daylight / Moonlight" have this elastic, slightly anxious energy where the guitars feel both jangly and tense.

They released a self-titled EP in 2015 that got them some traction in the LA DIY scene, but "You Thought We'd Be Friends" in 2017 was when people outside Southern California started paying attention. That album has a raw, kinetic quality that's hard to fake. Vargas sings in this deadpan style that works perfectly with the music's controlled chaos. "Tears in My Eyes" and "How Can I Pretend" became the tracks that spread through streaming algorithms and college radio.

Their 2019 record "Self Control" showed a band getting tighter without losing the scruffy charm. The production was cleaner but not slick. Songs like "Blinding Lights" and "Paranoia" expanded their range while keeping that distinctive guitar tone that sounds like it's barely holding itself together in the best way. They were touring more consistently by then, opening for bands like Djo and playing festivals, building an audience that appreciated the lack of obvious pandering.

They put out "You Might Be Sleeping" in 2021, which felt like a pandemic album without being explicitly about the pandemic. Slightly more introspective, maybe, but still built around those serpentine guitar lines and propulsive drums. The title track and "Spinning Circles" continued their pattern of writing songs that feel urgent without having to explain why.

These days they're still based in California, still touring when they can, still releasing music that sounds like them and not whatever's supposed to be happening in indie rock at any given moment. They've built a solid following without a breakout mainstream moment, which seems fine because their music never felt designed for that anyway. They're the kind of band that people discover and then immediately check the tour dates for, which is probably the better way to build something that lasts.

Small venues suit them. The crowd is usually quiet during songs, actually listening, then relaxed applause between tracks. They play tighter live than the recordings suggest, which surprises people. No between-song banter, just efficient presence. People leave talking about specific moments rather than the overall vibe.

Known for Casual, Better Days, Rust, Velvet, Small Talk

See The Red Pears Live