All the Sad Music, by Nikolai Garcia (DSTL Arts, 2025)

In this collection Garcia tells the story of his life using music as the guide rail. Through R&B, hip hop, and indie rock he bares the rhythm of his soul for the reader with a suggested soundtrack that will set the scene with a jarring vividness. Wandering from dive bar to bus stop to record store to funeral back to bus stop, it’s a tale of life and death in the shadows of Los Angeles. The complete Los Angeles. So many who think they write about this city have no fucking idea what this place really is. Nik does.

All the Sad Music is hand-assembled and limited to 250 copies.