Mood Board is our column where artists share a few of the things that inspired their new record. This time, the LA-based dream pop artist kelz tells us how her new record Mondo Grosso, Vietnam, sweets, and more helped shape her new record A Sweet Passerby—out now on Bayonet.
— Annie Fell, Editor-in-chief, Talkhouse Music
1. ATB’s Movin’ Melodies
My album is influenced heavily by the sounds of the Y2K era, especially for the upbeat tracks. One in particular was ATB’s Movin’ Melodies. I love the whole album and would play it on repeat in my old 2003 Honda Accord. It’s an album that is its own special surprise as a whole, looking back at this dance record in the present day. I took a lot of inspo from the drums and synths. Other honorable mentions are “Better Off Alone” by Alice DeeJay and “We Like to Party” by the Vengaboys.
2. Mondo Grosso — “Labyrinth”
There’s so much about this video and song that I feel has followed me throughout this project! Firstly, I love the song. The singer Hikari’s voice is so encapsulating to follow along with the beautiful production by Mondo. The melody and piece has always moved me when listening. It’s so melancholy, yet uplifting at the same time. Visually, I love how warm the video is and how it captures fleeting moments of the city around. It feels so real and raw, showing the contrast between the singer and the world around her. The added symbolism of red has always struck me as visually bold.
3. ILLIT’s Super Real Me EP
We explored different references when we were figuring out how the album cover should look and feel. ILLIT’s cover for their EP Super Real Me kept coming back up. What stood out was how it felt like it was constantly in motion from the people and also the typography. I feel this type of imagery allows for further discussion and interpretation from others too!
4. Everyday life in Vietnam
This is a photo I took during my first trip to Vietnam at the end of 2024. For me, it perfectly captures the feeling and glimpse into the feeling of being a “passerby.” It’s special to be able to stop and enjoy the simple things. I carried this longing and theme throughout my new songs as I continued to grow in my personal life. I’m happy I was able to do an ode to my heritage by sharing bits of Little Saigon in my music video for my song “Sweet Escape” and references in my overall project.
5. I Love Sweets!
I found it fun to try to incorporate my love of sweets throughout the project, especially for my MV “Sweet Escape.” Besides the album title A Sweet Passerby, I think it went hand in hand as a metaphor for escapism. We found ways to use this imagery in my music videos and also in the MV for “Just Us 2.”
