Los Angeles-based quartet Froth finally made its first visit to New Orleans, bringing a surfy brand of alternative to Gasa Gasa on Monday, April 17.

“We’re super excited to be here,” said Joo-Joo Ashworth, Froth’s frontman, lead guitarist and founding member. “Full disclosure, we thought no one would be here.”

Ashworth and company were happy to play for the modest Gasa crowd of no more than 30, but in all fairness, Froth’s performance proved worthy of a much larger audience.

The group incorporates elements of psychedelia, surf rock, ’60s garage and dream pop into its unique sound. The influence of shoegaze on Froth is even more obvious. Ashworth wore a t-shirt from My Bloody Valentine, one of the genre’s pioneers.

Froth formed in El Segundo, California five years ago, but the idea started as a hoax, a practical joke fabricated by Ashworth and another founding member, Jeff Fribourg. The duo invented Froth as a fake band with plans to press a blank record spanning 20 minutes of silence.

Fate later intervened when Ashworth and Fribourg spontaneously took a local stage after one of the opening acts cancelled. Fribourg described the set as a disaster, but Froth had materialized into an actual act none the less. The duo soon added bass player Jeremy Katz, then started writing songs and playing local venues.

Much of Froth’s subsequent exposure came thanks to a local college radio station, KXLU in Los Angeles.

“Ashworth considers El Segundo’s proximity to Loyola Marymount University’s world-renowned campus radio station, KXLU 88.9 FM Los Angeles, a major musical and cultural influence,” writes Jeff Vincent, a music journalist from Easy Reader News. “Ironically, KXLU is, in part, also responsible for the band looking, and moving, outside the area.”

Froth’s most recent tour landed them in New Orleans on a Monday night promoting their newest record, “Outside (briefly).” The four-piece shined on standout tracks like “Contact” and “Passing Thing.”

Froth’s sound is only truly understood when heard. Layers of effects-heavy guitar created soundscapes that put listeners in a euphoric trance better experienced than explained. Ashworth’s airy vocals only added to the effect.

Still, crisp beats from drummer Cameron Allen kept the energy high and the music danceable.

As the band announced its last song of the night, members of the audience sighed in disappointment. The set was short and sweet, leaving fans hungry for more.

It seemed Froth was back on the road just as soon as it arrived. The remainder of the tour will lead the artists up the east coast into Canada. Afterward, Froth will travel to the United Kingdom and much of Europe.

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