Japanese Motors are one of the exciting bands to emerge from Orange County since the heyday of Social Distortion and TSOL. Hailing from Costa Mesa, the Japanese Motors are made up by main vocalist and surfer Alex Knost, Nolan Hall in the guitar, Chris Vail in bass, and Andrew Atkinson in drumms. The band is known around South California for the insane, all-night blowouts they put on as much as for the driving, raucous garage pop they set the partying to.

Rather than fight the influence of their surroundings like so many of their So Cal contemporaries, Japanese Motors have channeled it into their music, making tunes every bit as sun-baked and laid-back as their coastal environs and rife with positive imagery. “Most bands from here are trying to sound like they’re from London or New York,” Nolan says. “We embrace where we’re from.”

Official website // MySpace // Japanese Motors at Amazon // on Ebay.