March 29th, 2026 – Los Angeles, CA
Years ago – though I hadn’t been fortunate enough for it to have been all ten – Microwave dropped onto my radar, with their 2016 album Much Love rapidly climbing its way to the top, ending its ascent among those titles that I classify to be comfort albums.
In Much Love’s entirety, it’s brief with a runtime of only thirty-four minutes – yet between its warm guitar tone, distinct riffing, sense of nostalgic melancholy, and casually self-deprecating lyricism, the juxtaposition of comforting and depressive propelled the short album into long-term significance. Microwave became a staple in the exact corner of modern emo-adjacent that I found myself in, with familiar names like Movements, Citizen, and The Wonder Years populating their Spotify profile under “similar artists” as well as their crowd in all of those black band shirts.
Photography by Carissa Leong (IG: @carissalphoto.cr2)
Spring of 2026 saw the band on tour, simultaneously celebrating the 2016 studio version while promoting the recent release of its live album. Currently consisting of Nathan Hardy (lead vocals/guitar), Tyler Hill (bass/backing vocals), and Tito Pittard (drums), they were also joined by touring guitarist Craig McDermott who had flown out on a 24-hour notice, and who brought great energy and jumps in spite of it.
Back in 2016, Much Love was a time-capsule of youth, written to spotlight the tumult of early adulthood following Hardy’s exit from a sheltered upbringing in the Mormon Church, into the harsh reality of the world – and within it, detached relationships, stagnation in cycles of unhealthy habits, and disillusionment in religion. Consequently, the set pieces reflected a similar time-capsule, as if it was a teenager’s bedroom decorated nostalgically with vinyls, posters, and warm lighting. And just like its title, the sight seemed picturesque, yet the irony was obvious when noting the dissociation and dissatisfaction darkening most of the lyrics behind the facade.
Photography by Carissa Leong (IG: @carissalphoto.cr2)
Ten years separated them from the specific topics of these songs, and Microwave didn’t linger much more than they had to. With the occasional brief song intro and no excessive thanks, they blew straight through the album’s portion of the setlist in its order. In the blur of guitars and memories – which were different for everyone in the Wiltern as their reasons for being in the room that night – Microwave embodied resigned contemplation to ragged anger, then back with ease. “Vomit” was a standout track in this regard, with Hardy’s voice building into a scream –
“‘Cause I’m far too cynical for faith and make-believe
‘Cause there’s no such thing as love
We just felt vulnerable without a God, without a crutch
There’s nowhere else, nobody else, nothing.”
Photography by Carissa Leong (IG: @carissalphoto.cr2)
A few more standouts continued to reflect that brutally honest take on a slice of Hardy’s life. “Drown” might have been the first song of theirs that I’d heard, and it was all the more vulnerable to hear those vocals live – “I hate to be around you, I hope that you’ll stay.” “Dull” and “Homebody” were also great to hear in this same regard, especially alongside others who were calling out those same well-practiced words.
The last few minutes of their set was a mix of old and newer – certain well-loved songs like the title track off of Stovall (2014) were met with excitement, as were their softer alt rock tracks that pulled from a more eclectic range of inspirations than their earlier works, like “Bored of Being Sad” from 2024 album Let’s Start Degeneracy.
And finally, a track that helped to close the night was among their most popular and a personal favorite. “But Not Often,” a release off of their 2015 EP Split, in collaboration with Head North, was driven by the most catchy earworm riffs that bottled up Microwave at their peak – that strangely perfect balance between melancholy, warmth, and even anger, revolving around a dynamic that was both unhealthy yet very human.
Photography by Carissa Leong (IG: @carissalphoto.cr2)
Rolling back to the beginning of the night, Slow Joy as an opener was one that I had been anticipating the most, despite not playing the entirety of the tour. As the solo project of Esteban Flores, grunge, shoegaze, and emo were the sonic backdrop behind intensely confessional songwriting. I had gotten into his work specifically in anticipation of this lineup, and Slow Joy’s 2025 debut A Joy So Slow At Times I Don’t Think It’s Coming has now been on my constant rotation. The versatile set, which scattered familiar tracks like “Drowning” and “Wound” among older songs, drew early crowd participation, perfectly in sync with this scene.
Photography by Carissa Leong (IG: @carissalphoto.cr2)
Meanwhile, HUNNY appealed to the jangly indie rock side of Microwave’s audience, though they still retained an edge that justified their presence on numerous pop-punk lineups. I had seen them live once before as an opener (and they also had a KXLU studio session in 2023), though this was the first time that I had seen them as a solo project for vocalist/guitarist Jason Yarger instead of a whole band. Prior to the release of SPIRIT!, the members had parted ways in pursuit of other ventures, but also due to the high costs and low pay for being in a mid-size band full-time. It didn’t keep Yarger down though, as he brought high energy to the performance, along with quick vignettes as an L.A. local.
Photography by Carissa Leong (IG: @carissalphoto.cr2)
Anthony Green was an apt final opener, as he filled the room with the emotion, high vocals, and screams expected of him, with an ease of experience given his involvement in successful post-hardcore bands such as Saosin, Circa Survive, and L.S. Dunes. I’ve only had cursory exposure to all of these projects, but the excitement for him – whether attached to his solo work or everything that he represented – absolutely energized the crowd right into Microwave’s set.
Photography by Carissa Leong (IG: @carissalphoto.cr2)
Microwave was never a band that fit perfectly into a box, and the welcome reception to their range of opening acts, paired with the concert-goers’ shirts that I spotted for their different eras – Stovall and Much Love and “keeping up” and Let’s Start Degeneracy – lent itself to a sense of refreshing acceptance that was less conventional in the rock scene, where greater softness can be treated as “selling out.”
While an album-worth of nostalgia was what initially pulled everyone in that room together, it truly was due to that underlying vulnerability and humor in spite of it all, which has spanned Microwave’s career since their inception.
Stream Much Love (10th Anniversary) and check out Microwave‘s tour dates below here:
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