Photo Credit: Izzy O’Brien
It’s easy to seek validation from external sources. But sometimes, looking inward is what allows us to become whole. LA-based indie rock artist brookelen went through that exercise for her latest EP dark side of the sun. She describes the record as “about looking directly at the parts of ourselves we'd rather keep hidden. It's about discovering that healing isn't becoming someone new—it's finally allowing yourself to be fully seen." That sentiment runs through all six songs, from reclaiming independence on “omen” to confronting our shadow selves on “hide.” Driven by heavy guitars and guttural vocals, it’s a post-grunge record that finds brookelen embracing a more vulnerable and unfiltered side of herself.
We connected with brookelen about finding inspiration in LA, navigatiing creative blocks, staying organized, the importance of daily practice, forgiveness and more.
1/MANIFESTO
Do the thing your soul craves because an authentic life demands it! Be bold and confident, always leading with gentleness and love. Build a community around shared joyed and true connection. Growing pains are real and sometimes the only way out is through. It is essential to allow forgiveness towards yourself and others. The whole point is not to lose yourself, but to find yourself through creation and to get lost only in the music.
2/PEDALBOARD
My humble board mode: Rat distortion, Big Muff, MXR Reverb + MXR Chorus pedal and lastly my TC Electronic Polytune. My entire board was sourced second-hand from Facebook Marketplace, except my reverb pedal which was a much-needed addition and recent birthday gift.
3/DEMOS
I always have a songwriting notebook that looks and feels enticing to open. Right now, it's this pink, cherry-themed notebook that has a little clear pouch in the front where I keep pens, lighters, and lipstick. I have a physical calendar, a journal, and a separate songwriting/poetry notebook. Keeping them separate means I'm not putting my daily to-do lists next to any masterpieces. I'm hyperactive and move around a lot so this is a helpful organization tool for me. It keeps my songwriting journal sacred, enticing me in. Also, I overuse voice memos but it serves as a beautiful routine to go on a walk and listen back to demos there. I eventually try to work on the song to get a "final" demo before going into a studio to record or taking the track to my band. I also use the app Untitled to visually organize and work on album sequencing of demos/works-in-progress. When I export from Voice Memo to Untitled, it means there's something special about the demo.
4/PRODUCTION
I physically move. I love yoga, going on walks, playing with animals. Therapy also feels like another way I move through creative roadblocks (they are often static feelings) and I can release them that way. The less blockage, the more I release (cry, sing, laugh). I do "morning pages" where I don't have to be smart or pressure myself into brilliance and often somewhere in the fluff of word vomiting, there is something that strikes a chord. I've been lucky to not face many creative roadblocks recently just many other roadblocks (paying bills, house insecurity, staying sane, staying sober, diy exhaust). I make myself write at least one thing in my journal every day. The daily practice helps familiarize myself with driving on a road that has endless blocks and closings. Ain't that just life? Here is all i wrote today. didn't make any judgements. Just leaving it there. Maybe for later, maybe for never, maybe forever:
today is like a stomach pit
full of observances
hunger pains and empty feelings
love sick
i am most united with myself
when i am unrequited
5/LOS ANGELES
The collaborators I've met here sure have. I think LA just helped bring out my sound further and encourage a light to shine on it. I spent a long time hiding music and dealing with perfectionism (stagnation). I definitely feel the courage of the scene here to scream and express myself in more obvious and bold ways than I have experienced in the past. Also in my observances of this ever-evolving city, it has inspired me to record analog and live.
6/UNDERRATED ALBUMS
Make My Head Sing... - Jessica Lea Mayfield (2014)
Cryogyser Selt titled album (2025)
Oh Vanille / Ova Nil - Diane Cluck (2004)
See It Fades - Adriana McCassim (2024)
The Dirt of Luck - Helium ('95)
Geek the Girl - Lisa Germano (1994)
LA-based indie rock artist brookelen opens up about the creative process behind her latest EP dark side of the sun, a post-grunge record rooted in self-discovery, vulnerability, and embracing the parts of ourselves we'd rather keep hidden. In our “6 Things w/” feature, she shares how Los Angeles has shaped her sound, the importance of daily creative practice, navigating roadblocks, her songwriting and demo process, and the albums and artists that continue to inspire her.