February 20, 2026 | Angela Cook

Who said self-reflective, self-aware music had to be sad and dreary?

LA-born synth pop artist Grace Kay joins forces with New Jersey-born, LA-based indie pop artist Kirsten Izer on the danceable single “WHY AM I LIKE THIS,” released via Trailing Twelve Records.

"WHY AM I LIKE THIS" is a refreshing, fluttery track that pairs stripped-back verses with lyrics that land hardest in seasons where up feels like down and the path forward looks murky.

Shimmering synths and a palpable, stomach-dropping rhythm propel the song from start to finish, giving emotional uncertainty a pulse you can actually move to.

November 10, 2025 by LADYGUNN

From her early days as a music journalist in New York to now crafting her own sonic universe in Los Angeles, Kirsten Izer has learned to turn vulnerability into creative power.

Her new chapter arrives with a renewed sense of confidence, fueled by the reception of her debut EP, “The Perfect Hire,” which positioned her as one of the most authentic voices in the indie scene. Today, Izer speaks from a freer place driven by instinct, theatrical vision, and a desire to create on her own terms, blending intimacy and cinematic flair into every song.

Her latest single, “Anyone But Me,” perfectly captures that evolution. The song is an unflinching reflection on body image, identity, and self-perception. With dense harmonies and restrained production, it transforms pain into something quietly powerful, an anthem for those learning to live with the parts of themselves they struggle to see. Through honesty and emotional precision, Izer turns discomfort into connection and confession into art.

November 6, 2025 by Angela Cook

Perfectly imperfect—that’s “Anyone But Me” by indie artist Kirsten Izer.

Born in New Jersey to visual artist parents, Izer always felt a deep pull toward storytelling. 

After years working as a music journalist and publicist in New York City for outlets like Billboard, she eventually relocated to Los Angeles to begin telling her own story as an artist.

Her latest single, “Anyone But Me,” cuts deep with lines like, “so I shifted my shape for show, should have said no.” Izer’s vocal performance is raw, unpolished, and achingly emotional—perfectly fitting the haunting theme of wanting to be anyone but yourself, a feeling most of us have experienced at least once in our lives.

It’s an intentionally imperfect track—one Izer wears proudly.

by Kayla Moreno| July 16, 2025

I am known for asserting that the patriarchy benefits no one involved. However, I rarely explain why that is the case. Singer-songwriter Kirsten Izer explores this concept thoroughly in her biting new EP, The Perfect Hire. Many of her metaphors channel the ebbs and flows of romantic relationships. After a few listens, a more profound message becomes clear; it isn’t heterosexual romance that threatens autonomy, but gender expectations placed upon both men and women. Her EP expertly discusses the pitfalls of the patriarchy, affirming my thesis by zooming in on stereotypes across the board that impose harmful effects. Dynamics would be far less tense without these preconceived expectations we place upon each other. Sometimes, women are just as guilty of it as men.

by Robb Donker Curtius| June 27, 2025

The emotional triangle choke hold of "The Perfect Hire / the liar", by New Jersey bred / Los Angeles based alt pop singer-songwriter / producer Kirsten Izer, is stunning in it's gritty pull and dense storytelling. Simmering around  powerful indie rock / busker punk acoustic guitar strums, sonically textured and rich, Izer's bloodletting gets more intrinsically intense as the song narrative expands. I have been a fan of Izer's ability to tap into her own feelings and purge them since I first featured her music in AP about nine years. It is a special ability to have and whether her stories are fictional constructs based on factual parts of here life or directly diaristic doesn't matter to me. What matters is the emotional impression her songs leave and they leave a commanding presence, echo. Her vocal countenance, purely potent with sharpened artistic teeth stands out too. I mean if you listen intently to "The Perfect Hire / the liar", you feel the story in stark ways, the anger you feel might take rent in your stomach as a dull ache or as moral rage in your own clenched fist.

by Oliver Bouchard | June 25, 2025

"Maybe I killed my ego one too many times." This line sets the mood of "The Messenger", before Kirsten Izer lets it evolve from a quiet, acoustic beginning into an epic pop song. The track is the closer of her debut EP The Perfect Hire, out now.

Kirsten is originally from New Jersey, but like so many aspiring musicians, she moved to LA with a stop in New York City. She says about the EP:

“The Perfect Hire EP started out as a collection of songs that explore the inadequacy I’ve felt throughout my life, whether it was maximized by relationships with others or myself. If you wanted to simplify it, you could say it’s a collection of songs that are loosely about both love and heartbreak. “

by Turn and Work | June 18, 2025

It’s hard to believe that The Perfect Hire is Kirsten Izer‘s debut record. Even though it’s only four songs, everything about this EP sounds seasoned and accomplished. Izer’s confidence and polish makes this record sound like an interlude between major projects from an established performer. Her songwriting is sharp and evocative and her dynamic vocal range lends drama and depth to the lyrics.

This isn’t by accident: Izer has been writing and playing music since age 11 and her YouTube channel has the receipts, with old homemade music videos and talent show footage. She’s been working toward this since before she could legally work, so the level of sophistication is hard-earned.

Her bio talks about spending half a decade on the business side of the music business, which clearly had a strong influence on The Perfect Hire. A doomed workplace romance inspired the title track (and campy workplace satire teaser site), conflating the personal and professional relationship expectations.

by calexanderpoetry | April 18, 2025

In “Electric Blue,” Kirsten Izer explores heartache through vivid locations, blending bossa nova and rock to convey emotional complexity and vulnerability, creating relatable memories of love lost.

Maps have coordinates, memories have locations. In “Electric Blue,” Kirsten Izer charts the topography of heartache through physical spaces—where New York streets become pathways back to lost connection and Los Angeles neighborhoods (“this side of Hillhurst”) mark territory of continued longing.

by Alfitufe | April 17, 2025

LA-based talent, Kirsten Izer, is back on our pages with a powerful new single that deserves your attention!

‘Electric Blue’ is a beautifully emotional and sincere song that seamlessly applies bossa nova rhythms over an alternative pop production, resulting in a sound that is unlike anything we’ve heard. The track was co-produced along with Randall Belculfine and looks at the legacy that love leaves within us. Izer explains:

“It was one of those songs where I didn’t even really understand what it was about until it was complete. Each lyric felt very soft, like a natural fit, and conveyed kind of a duelling positive and negative feeling I’ve had simultaneously for one person, which was turning out to be a common theme in a lot of my songs.”

by Robb Donker Curtius | Sunday, March 23, 2025

The alt pop wandering third eye of "You" by, indie singer-songwriter Kirsten Izer, feels mysterious, soars to ethereal places and asks questions. I love the sort of trip hop electronica happening in this song, I am a champion of understated, perfectly placed sounds that has ambient atmospheres that wrap around you. "You" is that. Don't get me wrong, it is highly produced, wonderfully produced but doesn't sound like it is, the ebb and flow, the emotional musical arc is so engaging. Of course, a huge part of this pull and push is the song itself and Kirsten Izer's vocal countenance that is bathed in questions, relationship questions (in my mind) that might have to do with the old existential tugs of where do I begin and where do your start or vice a versa and is 'we' an entirely different spiritual animal, entity??

by Thewildiscalling | March 7th, 2025

Kirsten Izer might want to know more about You.  Maybe.  It’s a cautionary allure.  Izer knows to be careful what you wish for.  There’s a seductive trait masking her obsessed conflict.  That detail comes to a fever pitch in the songs convincing trademark chorus.  It’s in this moment that the emotion takes over.  Is this real life, or is this fantasy?

A catchy upbeat indie psych pop rock, You should instantly connect with fans of Tame Impala or Lucius.  It’s freaky catchy while staying true to its narrative.  It’s a great find. 

We’re very excited to be sharing with you a new indie artist emerging from LA, going by the name of Kirsten Izer.

Originally from New Jersey, this singer, songwriter, and producer creates songs that seamlessly blend indie with experimental pop. The result is a sound that is really quite unique, as is the case with her new single, ‘You’.

The track is inspired by the powerful connections that we sometimes have with special people and was co-produced alongside the acclaimed Randy Belculfine (noted for his work with Tones and I, Tanerélle, and more). On the lyrics, Izer says:

“It’s about that special person that you have such a strong connection with. No amount of distance or silence can change how much you care. You love them and you wonder how they’re doing, but they don’t need to call or explain—their existence is enough.”

Former music publicist decides to make music instead. Good move!

Written by Bob Guccione Jr. | May 25, 2023 - 9:00 am

Kirsten Izer, who was “always making music, since I was 11 years old,” started her career at 18 as a publicist for indie artists. After a while she decided to become a journalist, and interviewed “hundreds of artists.” Somewhere along the line she decided to accept her long-destined fate and become one of those artists she and everyone else around her were, in one way or another, writing about.

She currently lives in LA and, smartly, because music is a tough, cold business, still has a day job, marketing audio brands. She grew up on the east coast, in New York and New Jersey.

Britnee Meiser on September 23, 2019

Brooklyn-based Kirsten Izer’s debut single of 2019, “One Year,” is a raw and evocative exploration of toxic love and lingering loss. The minimal arrangement consists only of a hazy electric guitar and Izer’s cool, smoky vocals, but its intimacy is what makes it powerful.

by Mitch Mosk

September 19, 2019

“We don’t actually own anything, but we want to,” sings a plaintive Kirsten Izer in her intimate new single. The unveiled confession of an aching heart, “One Year” is a stripped-down, late night intermingling of introspection, sadness, and love’s loss that says all it needs to say without glitz and glamour: If poetry can dazzle, then this song has a brilliant hue.