Blog number eleven already. Which means blog number twelve — the Summer Season Finale — is right around the corner. Wild. Thank you for riding along these past three months; sharing these discoveries has been the highlight of my summer, and I love that the conversation keeps going both ways. (Seriously, keep sending me the songs you’re digging.)
Here’s the plan going forward: one blog a week, twelve weeks a season, like clockwork. Three months go by faster than you’d think when you measure them in music instead of days. I’ve even been toying with the idea of putting the whole summer season onto a mix CD. Would you grab one if I made it? Mix CDs are still one of my favorite things in the world — hand-picked, hand-burned, passed along like a little secret.
Now — this week’s discovery.
How do I even put this? It’s got me in a chokehold. But what else would you expect from a release on Daptone or Colemine? At some point, I’ll have to write a whole blog just about those labels, because they’ve become a compass for me. If I see their stamp, I know I’m about to hear something alive.
The Altons were brand new to me. And this tune — Love You Like That — is brand new too. Every once in a while, as a singer, you hear a track and think: damn, I wish this was mine. This is one of those times. The Altons just nailed it — the pocket, the heat, the ache.
So, who are The Altons? What’s their story? And how did I stumble into this song that’s been running laps around my head ever since?
How did I get here?!
The Altons come out of Los Angeles, and you can hear it in their sound — a groove only a city like L.A. could cook up. Soul from SoCal always feels like it was baked in the California sun and served from a lowrider by the beach. The Altons carry that tradition in their veins — tipping their hat to the past while making it pulse with urgency right now.
They’re part of the Daptone family tree — the label that has become shorthand for trust. If you’re crate-digging and you see one of those names stamped on a record sleeve, you know you’ve struck gold. And Love You Like That is pure proof of it: sultry vocals, a rhythm section that hits like velvet-wrapped steel, and horns that feel like the night air pressing in close.
I found this track almost by accident, but the second it hit, it was over. One of those drop everything and replay it three times moments. That’s the magic of a good discovery — it doesn’t politely knock, it just barges in and makes itself at home in your bloodstream.
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Adriana Flores – Lead vocalist whose rich, emotive voice anchors the band's sound.
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Bryan Ponce – Co-lead vocalist and guitarist, known for his expressive guitar work and vocal harmonies.
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Joseph Quiñones – Rhythm guitarist, contributing to the band's textured musical layers.
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Gabriel Maldonado – Bassist, providing the foundational groove that drives their rhythm.
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Carlos Canovas – Drummer, laying down the beats that pulse through their tracks.
Their collaboration began in 2015, evolving from a mix of rock and soul influences into a distinctive sound that caught the attention of Daptone Records. With the addition of Caitlin Moss on drums and Chris "Bolillo" Manjarrez on bass, they solidified their lineup, leading to the release of their debut album, Heartache in Room 14, under Daptone's Penrose imprint.
The Algo is Rithming
One of my favorite parts about being a nationally recognized professional listener
We’re living through a strange phenomenon right now. “Popular music” still dominates the charts and the radio, sure — but popularity itself has shifted. Streaming has cracked the code wide open. Discovery doesn’t just belong to DJs and record stores anymore, it belongs to algorithms, playlists, and pure chance. There’s no way I could’ve planned on finding The Altons — it just happened, a random click, a song slipping through the cracks. Or… was it random?
How much of what we find these days is really chance, and how much is the algorithm tugging strings we can’t even see? And how long before music discovery shifts again, reinventing itself in some new way we can’t predict?
For years, my world revolved around Pandora. I was a big fan — maybe even an addict. Pandora was my lifeline to indie music, the doorway to whole universes I wouldn’t have found otherwise. I remember starting a station off Fleet Foxes, and from there it unraveled like magic: Damien Jurado, M83, José González, The Marías, Bombay Bicycle Club, Aurora… the list goes on longer than I could ever write down.
Back then, I didn’t think about Pandora having an algorithm. To me, it just felt like luck — like some benevolent DJ in the sky was slipping me records I needed to hear. And I was fine with that. It was free, it was endless, and it gave me exactly what I didn’t know I was looking for.
But since buying into the streaming era — and spending more time inside YouTube Music — I’ve learned a few things. About how it really works. About how these platforms don’t just reflect taste, they shape it.
Here’s the thing about YouTube Music: it doesn’t just hand you songs, it studies you. Every skip, every replay, every late-night loop becomes data. The algorithm builds a map of your listening habits, and then it starts to steer. Sometimes it feels like fate, sometimes it feels like you’re being nudged down a hallway you didn’t choose. You think you’re exploring, but really — you’re being guided.
But there’s beauty in that, too. The algorithm is like a shadowy DJ, digging through crates you’ll never see, slipping you records you didn’t even know existed. It learns your moods, your obsessions, your seasons. One day it hands you a song like Love You Like That by The Altons — and suddenly you’re hooked, wondering how this tune found its way into your bloodstream. Was it chance? Or was it the algorithm whispering: you needed this one.
Two truths can exist at once: I can feel uneasy about a computer deciding what I want to hear next, and at the same time I can feel elated to live in a world where I can discover any artist, from anywhere, at any time — as if by chance. A chance that I couldn't create on my own.
Love You Like That is one of those tunes I’ll always be grateful the algorithm slipped into my life. Not only is it my current obsession, but The Altons have officially become one of my new favorite bands.
I know this blog feels a little different. Normally, I break the song apart and tell you about every detail I love. But this one? This song doesn’t need notes. It’s perfect. The production, the instrumentation, the backup vocals, the melody, the way the bridge folds into the verses and chorus, the horns, the pocket. Honestly — just go listen to it. In my eyes, this is the song of the summer. I’m still dumbfounded at how flawless it is.
My only complaint? I wish it was longer. That’s it. Congrats to The Altons and Daptone Records — you made the best song of the year, right alongside Flower Moon by Durand Jones & The Indications. But that’s a song for another time.
Love you all, music freaks. Take a walk. Share a song you love with a friend. Drink some water. Stay tuned in.
—Berly D
If you dug this post, feel free to tip the scribbler: Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/berlyd
Listen to Love You Like That: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX7-iEvuLX4
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