Che Landikusic and Landon Langenbrunner started PERSONA 749 just four years ago after meeting at the University of Utah. Today, the band has relocated to New York City and gained four additional members. They have over 200,000 monthly listeners and have been featured on Hulu’s 2025 comedy series, “Adults.”
PERSONA 749’s discography is a post-punk mix of electronic rock and new-wave. On Feb. 28, they released their first full-length album, “Jock Rock,” before quickly following it up with a remix album in July. The band takes inspiration from art-rock and dance-punk trailblazers such as The Talking Heads and LCD Soundsystem. Their record’s namesake- “Jock Rock”- is a great description of PERSONA’s unique sound. Vocalist Che Landikusic shouts dance-pop style vocals over a blend of new-wave synth with rock-inspired guitar chords and punk-era drum beats.
After finishing their East Coast leg this spring, PERSONA 749 kicked off their West Coast leg Friday, Nov. 14, with a show in Los Angeles. The band considers this LA kick-off their best show yet. Landikusic, the band’s vocalist, said that he felt like it was the first time everyone’s energy clicked.
“All six of us were in it, and the crowd was in it too,” he said. “Everybody was so excited, and it was just great energy. I think there was a big connection between the audience and us. I felt very comfortable.”
The LA venue, Permanent Records, exceeded maximum capacity.
Surprise releases and big features
On Nov. 17, while on the road back from LA, PERSONA 749 surprise-dropped a new single on Bandcamp and YouTube, titled “Later.” Landikusic said “Later” was recorded months ago, and releasing it was a cathartic act.
“There’s a side of music that is supposed to be really strategic and business-oriented and marketing-oriented. I think if you don’t scratch the itch of releasing music, it kind of starts to get stale for me,” Landikusic said. “So I was like, let’s just put it on YouTube and Bandcamp and be satisfied.”
Despite a reluctance to participate in traditional music industry marketing, a song from “Jock Rock,” “Stereo Girl,” was recently featured in a scene from Hulu’s “Adults.” The band said that this opportunity was highly unexpected; someone reached out to them about it before the show’s premiere.
“We were worried,” laughed bassist Reno Ferrarese. “We were like, ‘Oh, I hope it [the show] is not horrible. But they had briefly explained the scene, and we went for it.”
Reno said that it was a very exciting moment when the band watched the scene for the first time together, while on the road during their East Coast tour.
“It was a pretty cool feeling, logging into Hulu and just clicking on an episode and hearing it fade in and out. It was really cool,” Reno said.
A local band for life
Before being featured on the hit Hulu series and relocating to New York City, PERSONA 749 got its start in Salt Lake City. Landikusic said that they will always be a Salt Lake City band.
“The Salt Lake music scene is the best in the country. No matter where we live, I always want to be a Utah band,” Landikusic said. “There’s something about Utah. There’s pockets of kids who just get along and understand each other.”
Keyboardist Langenbrunner said that music culture in Salt Lake City feels collaborative instead of competitive, “In Utah, it’s still so cool to start a band,” he said. “In New York, there’s cool kids literally everywhere and it just becomes pressurized, but in Utah it feels so valuable.
Langenbrunner and Landikusic said that some of their favorite local artists include Ritt Monney, Boyfriend Sushi Town and 4play.
PERSONA 749 is continuing their West Coast tour with stops in San Francisco, Phoenix and San Diego before performing a New Year’s Eve show at Kilby Court with Transmitter.