In a moment when artists’ music is increasingly being divided up into short “eras,” it’s rare to find a project that explicitly aims to encapsulate a decade-long span of time—let alone the transitory nature of growth within these broad temporal parameters. Samira Winter’s newly released fifth album under the dream-pop moniker Winter, Adult Romantix, chronicles her 11 years spent living in Los Angeles, with the project’s 13 tracks predominantly penned in a state of flux. “Every album that I make ends up being this very transformative process,” she shared upon the project’s release this past Friday via Winspear. “Living your life as art; living as an artist. It’s showing up in those mundane moments.”
As she discusses some of her primary musical influences for these songs with a playlist she created for us, she notes that Adult Romantix was inspired by “lost LA summers” and the music that soundtracked them—from the woozy, nostalgic, lo-fi jangle of Beach Fossils demos to Kim Gordon’s balance of noise and vulnerability on Sonic Youth’s late-career output. Even Elliott Smith gets a shout for influencing the record’s inclusion of acoustic guitar, which generally doesn’t fit into the artist’s wash of post–Cocteau Twins ethereality and baggy revivalism. “I think that, on some level, everything you consume while working on an art project seeps into your own work—whether consciously or subconsciously,” she shares.
With the record out now, check out all of her picks below along with her explanations for each selection. You can also purchase Adult Romantix here.
Beach Fossils, “Birthday” (Demo Version)
All of their songs have an incredibly nostalgic quality to them. While we were recording, I specifically returned to this track from the Clash the Truth demos. It takes me back to a very specific feeling from that time, which was around the same period as the lost LA summers that inspired the album. That warm saturation, leady guitars, and dreamy vocal melodies were the perfect colors for the soundtrack of that indie-rock romance playing out in my head.
Sonic Youth, “Jams Run Free”
Because I wrote and recorded the album over the span of a couple of years, I felt like each session captured that particular moment in time. I remember bringing in my song “Like Lovers Do” and my producer Joo-Joo Ashworth pulling up this track as a reference. I’d listened to this record [2006’s Rather Ripped] multiple times before, but I think it’s a more underrated Sonic Youth album that actually has a lot of bangers. I remember feeling really raw and wanting to embody Kim Gordon’s ability to deliver vulnerability with a bite of attitude. We’ve always loved adding noisy feedback takes, and this song does such a good job of painting with those noise-guitar moments.
Elliott Smith, “Ballad of Big Nothing”
For the first time, we really included acoustic guitars in some of the production. I was listening to this album [Either/Or] a lot while writing Adult Romantix, and I think that, on some level, everything you consume while working on an art project seeps into your own work — whether consciously or subconsciously.
Rocketship, “I’m Lost Without You Here”
There’s an innocence that twee carries, which I deeply relate to—beyond it simply being a nostalgic song from those Romantix summers. When I began writing the album I was actually feeling pretty depressed and isolated, and so I would escape through fantasies. That teenage emotional sensibility is a part of me I hope to never lose, to believe that friendship and love could be so sweet.
Double Virgo, “No Sweat”
I love Double Virgo and bar italia. This song specifically has such a cool mix of electronic elements with that driving processed guitar. It has this night-time sort of snakey-sexy mood that I feel like belongs to the same world as some of the more electronic songs from the album. Like the feeling of driving through a tunnel late at night seeing the lights pass you by, reveling in your darkness.
Green Gerry, “Heaven 22”
There’s a legacy of California sleeper-surfer-indie bands that I grew fond of during the 11 years I lived in Los Angeles. That post–Lou Reed, Beachwood Sparks–adjacent slickness and nonchalance often inspired my attitude while I was incorporating the different characters and personas from the Romantix film.
Grouper, “Headache”
Grouper always does such an incredible job of creating her own ethereal sonic realm. When it came time to record “Running,” we leaned into this haunted yet ember-like quality, as if the echoes were the ghosts of relationships past. It’s like walking through a misty forest where you can see a glow—and even though you might feel lost at times, you just have to keep going as clarity slowly reveals itself along the way.
800 Cherries, “Through”
Ever since I first heard this track, I’ve been obsessed with it. I love the warmth in the bit-crushed drum machines and the saccharine, hushed melodies. In a way, I was propelled to make my own version of this song through “Candy #9.” Sometimes it’s like that: you try to cover a song and end up creating your own.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, “Everything with You”
This song makes me gush—I have so many memories associated with it. I don’t even think my album musically sounds that twee, but conceptually, Adult Romantix is about feeling the pains of being pure at heart and carrying that levity and fun that this song has to offer—to be twee at heart.
Solvent OS, “Cliquey”
This is the solo project from one of the members of A Country Western. I was listening to this track while writing parts of the album, created around the same time as my last EP, …And She’s Still Listening, which leans more into electronic experimentation and trip-hop. I love how easily I can get lost in it, with the breakbeats and angsty guitars enveloping me.
