BEACH BUNNY

Chicago band turns songwriter Lili Trifilio’s sad vibes into punky, poppy rock anthems

HOMETOWN

Chicago

SOUNDS LIKE

Early-twenties heartbreak set to loud, fast grunge pop

three years ago, Lili Trifilio (pictured below, at top) needed musicians to help perform some songs she’d written, for a local battle of the bands. She ended up forming Beach Bunny, one of the best indie-rock bands in America. Their debut album, Honeymoon, is full of fast-paced heartbreak songs like

“Ms. California,” in which Trifilio spills her raging jealousy over supercatchy poppunk chords. (The band also scored a hit on TikTok with 2018’s body-image commentary “Prom Queen.”) “At the time, I didn’t know my worth and I had lower self-esteem,” says Trifilio, 23. “Now, I’m trying to write more empowering songs.” Beach Bunny bring a carefree punk energy to their shows, where they might cover anything from Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” to a song from SpongeBob SquarePants. “It’s interesting to be singing the word ‘cry’ or a really sad lyric,” Trifilio says, “but I’m just trying to open up the mosh pit.” JONATHAN BERNSTEIN