La Luz's morose surf masterpiece Weirdo Shrine clocks in at 31 minutes, roughly the same length as an episode of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (including commercials, duh). The connection's a stretch, but last summer it inspired me to drunkenly pen Scooby-Doo fan-fiction that was soundtracked by the former Seattle band's Ty Segall-produced (swoon) 2015 release, which is itself inspired by cartoonist Charles Burns' graphic novel Black Hole. Though my embarrassingly plot hole-rife manifesto won't see the light of day, I will never cease to extol the immeasurable brilliance of La Luz—the now-LA-based four-piece's doo-wop harmonies are beguilingly sweet, hypnotizing listeners until guitarist/singer Shana Cleveland's agile shredding solos strike with unmerciful venom. On the album's slowly seductive standout "I'll Be True," Cleveland muses, "I don't know what I'm gonna do/No one else treats me like you do" against keyboardist Alice Sandahl's funereal organ melodies with such ambiguity you have to wonder whether she's in love or plotting murder. CIARA DOLAN