Jakki Wise from Portland trio Jakki and the Pink Smudge wrote the band’s 2025 album Niacidimide, a collection of 2010s-inspired indie rock, while navigating a tumultuous relationship: It started at the album’s conception and ended when the record was finished. “There’s a whole wave of emotions,” Wise says. Appropriately enough, the Pink Smudge performs at Sweetheart’s Ball ’26, WOW Hall’s annual Valentine’s Day celebration in Eugene. Wise is a Southern California-to-Portland transplant. She grew up influenced by the Los Angeles area’s indie rock, going to all-ages shows, often alone, for bands like Surf Curse and The Buttertones. “The whole scene was popping,” Wise says. The Pink Smudge started as a Wise solo project, singing and accompanying herself on guitar with loops. Over time, she developed a rotating lineup — what she calls “a little ‘smudge’” — in cities like Houston. The band’s lineup now includes Oliver Lester on bass and Charlie Oakes on drums. “Day by day, we’re becoming a cohesive mass,” she says. Now, Wise is in a happy relationship. In the past, though, she says, there have been “Valen-friends” celebrations, or she’s used the Valentine’s holiday as a chance to love herself. Valentine’s Day and celebrations like the Sweetheart’s Ball are “whatever you make it,” she says. Eugene bands Rainfly, Mothra, Junkyard Divas and Kickbusch join them on the evening’s bill.

Sweetheart’s Ball is7:30 pm Saturday, Feb. 14, at WOW Hall, 291 West 8th Avenue. Doors 7 pm. Tickets are $10 advance, $12 at the door, and are available at WOWHall.org. Formal attire is encouraged, and the show is all-ages.