The Linda Lindas Channel 1970s Punk Energy with ‘Oh!’ on ‘Fallon’

Viral darlings The Linda Lindas appeared on The Tonight Show Monday, delivering a raucous, high-octane performance of “Oh!,” the 2021 single that marked the band’s first official release on Epitaph Records.

Featuring lead vocal duties from guitarist Bela Salazar, the track — which appears on the Los Angeles band’s first full-length album, Growing Up — details the type of anxiety-riddled inner monologue that runs through the head of most teenagers. “Why do I say something/Say anything at all,” Salazar belts. “It seems that when I try/I always take the fall.”

The Linda Lindas gained widespread attention in mid-2021 when a performance of their song “Racist Sexist Boy” gained traction online. The teens had previously made waves in their hometown, opening for the likes of Bikini Kill and performing alongside musician Kristin Gundred, who fronted the early 2010s garage rock outfit Dum Dum Girls. While the success of the clip drew criticism from some music fans, who claimed the group was an industry plant — members Lucia and Mila de la Garza are the daughters of Grammy-award winning producer and former Reel Big Fish drummer Carlos de la Garza, while bassist Eloise Wong is the daughter of Giant Robot co-founder Martin Wong — the band quickly found an audience of fans who resonated with the group’s playful take on the classic punk sound.

“When we started the band, it wasn’t the intention to be famous,” Lucia told IndieLand earlier this year. “We liked playing music and performing music and just doing covers of songs we really loved. It was fun.”

The Linda Linda recently returned to the library to deliver a performance for NPR’s popular Tiny Desk (Home) Concert series. The group is also set to open for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs this October in Los Angeles and New York.