Willowake

Willowake is a South Bay Los Angeles–based alternative indie-rock three-piece, comprised of Jr Polanco (guitar & vocals), Gavin Alvarado (bass), and Dax Corcoran (drums). The band formed during their senior year of high school in 2021, initially honing their live chops via backyard house shows hosted by Jr.

In September 2022, they released their debut single “Bitterfaced,” marking their first milestone. To celebrate, they played their first proper venue show at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco—opening for Ultra Q/Mt. Eddy to a sold-out crowd. Since then, the group has maintained steady momentum, performing sold-out shows across the West Coast in established venues such as The Echo, the Constellation Room, the Lodge Room, Genghis Cohen, Teragram Ballroom, and the Voodoo Room.

In early 2023, they released their fan-favorite single “I See Ghosts,” which helped the band break into radio rotation on KROQ. In June 2024, Willowake followed up with their debut EP, An Alter Ego, co-produced by Jakob Armstrong (of Ultra Q/Mt. Eddy and son of Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day). During summer 2025, the band began seeing rapid growth on TikTok and Instagram, accumulating millions of views across both platforms. Their heavily anticipated new single “Echo Odd” dropped in August 2025 as the first track from their upcoming EP, Having Bad Dreams. That single has already achieved 300k+ streams on Spotify and over a million views of its video on TikTok; the band currently boasts 80k monthly listeners on Spotify and 750k total streams.

Rooted in the vibrant South Bay music scene—where acts ranging from Black Flag and Pennywise to The Bags, Fishbone, and The Untouchables laid early groundwork—Willowake brings a fresh indie-rock energy informed by local history but focused squarely on their own sound.