Driven by the desire to do anything but, catchy and cool Los Angeles-based indie rock band Act As If is carving out a place for itself in the music scene. Peter Verdell (vocals and guitar), Diego De La Rosa (drums), Derrick Wong (bass) and Tristen Whaley (guitar) have gained notoriety through the years, with some of their songs being featured on shows ranging from ABC to MTV television networks. No strangers to topics like love and failed relationships, their newest EP, Lovers Online, and its debut single "All the Girls" highlight the trials and tribulations of Verdell's personal experiences with online dating.

Homebase: Los Angeles, CA

For an audience that has never heard your music before, how would you describe it?

A lot of people say we remind them of bands like Walk the Moon, Grouplove, and Young the Giant; we'll take that.

Who are some of the artists or bands that inspired you?

Mostly a bunch of bands that apparently we don't sound like! Haha. The Beatles, Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure, U2, Third Eye Blind.

What's life like for an up-and-coming band in 2016?

Hard to navigate, for sure. I know that we're making better and better music all the time, so that remains the focus. But in terms of "making it" on a large scale...it feels like we've been close and far and close and far. So I don't know! But we are in love with our new EP and excited for things to come.

Tell us the story behind the band’s name.

I sold women's shoes at Nordstrom throughout college, and there were an overwhelming amount of facts and rules and shoes that I had to know about on my first day of work. My manager said "Just act as if you know what you're doing"and that phrase stuck with me. I think he got it from the movie Boiler Room.

How did the band come to be?

I'd worked at a record label (Drive-Thru Records) and played drums in some local bands, but always felt an itch to pursue writing and singing. So I started devoting more time to it, which led to me self-recording the first Act As If LP, There's A Light. I started getting a good response from friends and some industry people as well...so I recruited some rad musicians and we've been chipping away since.

How did you figure out your unique sound?

That is a very nice question — thank you! Years and years of watching hundreds of bands around LA, practicing, writing, listening...and I think we've gotten better with every release...and hopefully more unique as well. I'm trying to get better at realizing that if the songs I write are authentic and appealing to myself — as opposed to being concerned with impressing others — the art is gonna be better.

What's the coolest experience the band has had so far?

The coolest so far is probably getting to hear our songs "Oh My My" and "L.A. Kid" played on KROQ FM. It's a radio station that everyone in the band grew up knowing about and listening to...pretty surreal and fun.

Where do you draw inspiration for your music?

For our latest EP Lovers Online, all the songs are inspired by online dates that I went on. So there's that, haha. Our last album Steady explored some themes outside of the love thing, like faith and death, but we got back to the basics this time around: songs about girls.

What's something you've learned in your time as a band?

That we have to enjoy our music, first and foremost. Otherwise, what's the point? It's good to have goals and big ideas for things, but that has to be secondary.

Are there any specific goals you all have in mind?

We want to get on great tours, we want to be signed, we want our songs to be on the radio; we want this thing to be as big as it can be. So...pretty much the same goals as everyone in every band :)

What's the songwriting process like?

I usually come up with a main idea at home and then send a demo around to the band. The demos are usually at like 75% of what the song ends of being. The extra 25% comes together from group ideas and experimenting a bit.

If there's one thing you wish everyone on the planet would do with your music, what would it be?

I wish everyone knew our song "All the Girls" and danced along to it every morning. Does that count?

What does 2017 hold for Act As If?

We'll be playing shows in LA, shooting a music video or two for our new EP, and going from there!

For more profiles on up-and-coming artists, visit our Artist of the Day page.