Life & Work with Justin Juarez of Long Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Juarez.

Hi Justin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Music has been a highlight in my life since the moment I was born because of my mom. My household was chaotic; yet music of all artists and genres were a constant. This set the groundwork for my love and passion for not only taking in all of that music, but creating it myself. At the same time, my dad had this highly regarded career as a fireman, being the anchor of our family. The unspoken expectation of following in his footsteps led me down a path of balancing a stable career choice over the unpredictable lifestyle of a creative.

I have this vivd memory of going to Olvera Street in Los Angeles with my family, and getting my hands on a small, cheap toy guitar. Heading home from our day trip blasting KROQ, “Otherside” by Red Hot Chili Peppers came on. An iconic guitar intro, for sure. Having this guitar in my hands, I begin to mimic and play the notes that I’m hearing on the radio. It was an invigorating feeling that I can best describe as things “clicking”. It was my first experience using my ears to play something, and I chase that same “clicking into place” feeling all the time when I’m writing music today.

In the years that followed, the paths between creating music and establishing myself in Emergency Medicine began to diverge into two separate worlds. I remember writing the dumbest songs ever at 10 years old; meanwhile, my dad was starting his fire career. This led to me joining a fire explorers program for aspiring firefighters. Both worlds moving forward for me at the same time in this parallel sort of way.

As a paramedic in the Los Angeles area, I’ve been able to help my community in so many ways. I feel that the many tools I’ve learned and applied to my music I owe to my emergency medical services career as a healthcare provider. Things like self-sufficiency, perseverance and being open to learning new things. Today, I’ve used these attributes to place an emphasis on a do-it-yourself approach when it comes to releasing my own records. I found early on that I absolutely love being involved with every step of the songwriting process; learning, absorbing various techniques and advice from my mentors. I make the most of my day by working out lyrics on my commutes in LA traffic on the 405. I produce the instrumentation late into the night when I get home. I’ve always relished in the opportunity to tweak knobs and settings to mix the audio soundscape and create a sense of space and atmosphere that I envisioned for the listener. Although I thoroughly enjoy doing all of these steps myself, it still takes a team to make a song release happen. I am grateful to my mastering engineers, Joe LaPorta and Stefan Brown, who do that magical final polish of the songs and bring them up to an adequate listening volume for distribution. I of course appreciate my kind listeners and their invaluable feedback.

With four singles distributed at this point and streaming everywhere, I am very excited to finally see the culmination of my efforts as a music artist drop in album form on November 7th, 2025. The We’re Toast album is titled, “Nice Crisis” and encompasses that idea of identity crisis and imposter syndrome we feel as we decide what path we should take in life.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It can definitely be tough at times staying motivated or completing all of the things you’ve planned. “I wish there were more time in the day” rings true for me on the daily. But I feel I’ve grown to accept the fact that obstacles will inherently be there and that challenges will present themselves. I’ve made sure to look at these difficult times as opportunities to hone a skill or pivot directions while trying to navigate the music world and achieve my goal of performing my music live.

Being an independent music artist, you take on a full plate of roles and responsibilities. It can be challenging to organize, prioritize and execute tasks without a full team behind you which is why I am so grateful for the supporters that I do have. I’ve sat down for countless hours learning new skills like audio mixing and mastering to put down precisely what I had envisioned in my head. Often times, I can hear the entire arrangement of a song in my head before I even start recording. A struggle that tends to come from this process is perfectionism. Aiming for perfection has led me to “analysis paralysis”. It stalls my creative flow and in the past, has delayed the release of music. What I’ve done to push past the idea of perfectionism is to take that first step and get things completed and released ASAP; lowering such high expectations of myself. Considering something done seems to be the most difficult part for me. Accepting the idea that flawlessness is near impossible, and remembering that music is subjective has helped me become more comfortable with recognizing that a project is finished.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am the music artist, We’re Toast, and I create music in the genre of Indie Pop at a home studio here in Long Beach, California.

After writing dozens of songs, I’ve found a focus with imagery and analogy in my lyrical works.

Producing and arranging my songs from their crude acoustic demos has been a journey in itself. I believed that I would have to take several classes, crush some textbooks and watch hours of YouTube videos on how it’s done. Then it hit me that I already know what I like and what I don’t like when it comes to music productions. I have been subconsciously analyzing music my entire life and I have all of these amazing references when it comes to hit songs that many of us enjoy. I don’t want to copy, but I do look to the arrangements to give me examples of whether I’m on the right track or not.

When it comes to mixing the audio, I am adjusting the volume of the individual instruments to create a certain atmosphere for the listener. Even though I’m in a small studio, I have taken great care in acoustically treating the room. I am thankful for the audio engineer communities that I have found while developing my audio mixing skills. It has enabled me to branch out and network with incredibly talented people also making their way through the entertainment business.

Overall, I take the most pride in how I’m carving my own space in the indie artist scene with a distinctive sound. Being an independent artist out of a home studio in Long Beach, I have big dreams to bring headliner energy to everything I do.

What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is that my music is meaningful and resonates with those who listen. My hope is that this album will leave a mark on anyone who feels like they may have had to choose between two important paths in their life. I’ve placed so much intention and thought into each step of creating this project, that I want it to take on a life of its own.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weretoasts
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weretoast/
• Twitter: https://x.com/weretoasts
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMWdyy-hcHmoqBv7x4ldi4w
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/weretoasts
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6rfVPZIgKOPDmSXYsJLKuV?si=rUZgnWXDRWiZd0y-cStMWg

Image Credits
Photography: Anyssa Preciado from Captured By Anyssa

Album Art: Justin Juarez