Clyde Crooks’ EP let the curtain down opens with a sound bite from Singin’ in the Rain: “She’s so refined / I think I’ll kill myself.” His website highlights another film, Battle Royale, along with handwritten lyric entries and 23 minutes of commentary on the tracks, where he talks about his goal of creating “muppet sounds” and muses on the fragility of life. Everywhere you look, Crooks is going for broke to build something greater than the music—the videos are arresting against low-budget odds.

let the curtain down swerves through caustic synths, indie guitar chucks, and a muffled swagger. Bookends “untitled” and “hairgrow” are opposite sides of the alt pop spectrum, both aggro and hooky. His sound isn’t totally dialed yet, but you can’t swing a dead cat in Silverlake without hitting an artist attempting to rip off Dijon and Mk.gee, so it’s fun to see an Angeleno using their tenacity to take an original turn.