The trio of Dark Thoughts spring out the gates with rambunctious rumbling punk. Riffs often push the tempo, while the clamor of reinforcing backend thump thickens the adrenaline-laced immediacy. Melding infectious melody with an uncompromising grit, the sound is straight-ahead, enveloping in its serious sweat-drenched summer energy, and yes, it does tap into that classic Ramones-vibe, due in large part to a unabashed fun essence, even when hitting on darker subjects. The Missile Toads deliver a punk-injected Christmas in July, setting the stage for the catchy, snarl of The Muffs. Boot & Saddle, 1131 S. Broad St., 8:30pm, $15, 21+ – Michael Colavita
Portland
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Saturday Night Sounds: Seance Crasher – “I Even Love You More”
Tonight, we’ve got a new one coming to you from Seance Crasher. "I Even Love You More" is a warm, jangly pop rock song that fills you with the feeling of just wanting to drive through the desert on a long road trip with that special someone.
Featuring Tammy Barnes (aka Bambi B.) from Repatliens on bass and backing vocals, the harmonies between Barnes and Kevin Rafn are infectious and aid in creating the overall good feel about the track.
On this lovely Saturday night, get in the fun having mood with "I Even Love You More."
Philadelphia
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Cumquat Tape Release Show at Titan House July 16
As public service to the Philly DIY scene, the merry folks at Titan House refuse to stop the rock, and will be hosting a show that will blast their neighbors with everything from heavy fuzz to electronic backbeats, laughter to tears, and cigarette smoke to loud, sanctimonious conversations with a strong socialist overtone. First on the lineup is Cemetery Flowers, whose swirling atmospherics, driven by repetitive black metal progressions and layered feedback over massive ’80s-sounding electronic drums, creates the perfect Burzum-JAMC storm that’ll make your ears hum. Cumquat, a.k.a. Kevin Sullivan is an experimental electronic project that makes heavy use of samples and found sound, altering them into swelling, looping, danceable rhythms. The vocals steadily pursue a melody throughout the chaos of altered, erratic noise and rhythmic samples. He’ll be celebrating the release of his new EP, Prickly Glazer, out now on cassette via Gambling Debt Records. QQQ follow up with his classic dystopia-electronica sound, which emphasizes a more smooth, cruising texture in composition. And finally, touring act Grave Pool will close out the night with their sweeping surreal sound that is derivative just as much from ’80’s dream pop as from early ‘10’s chillwave. Synth sounds expand and disperse like jetstreams, while guitars swell and echo like the revisiting of an old memory. Titan House, (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.), 8pm, $5, All Ages. – Bryce Woodcock
Nashville
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Best Friend hits the high neon notes on “Flowers/Always Is”
If lo-fi post-punk with a sense of driving urgency is your jam (and it certainly is mine), then Best Friend’s newest EP deserves a spot on every summer nighttime listening mix you burn for that special someone. That girl with the dark leather jacket who’s way too cool for you, but you just can’t stop picturing yourself driving off into the Miami sunset with her right there in your DeLorean? That’s the one. She’ll dig it. You’ll dig it. –Austin Phy
NYC
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Honey bring their manic psych-garage to St. Vitus on 7.21
Names can be misleading. Psych-punk trio Honey isn’t exactly sweet and smooth as you may expect, quite the opposite. The band, made up of members of Psychic Ills and Amen Dunes, plays a loud, tense and distorted brand of psychedelic garage that seem to teeter on the brink of a nervous breakdown. The track “Monk” (streaming below) off their debut LP Love is Hard lives up to the album’s name as it examines the devotion it takes to keep a relationship alive by comparing it to the vow of commitment and self-discipline that a monk would take. “Everything I do/ I do it for you/ Because I’m a monk!,” sings guitarist Dan Wise in the chorus, before melting into a swirling psychedelic finale. Honey will be playing St. Vitus on July 21st in support of Radioactivity. – John Honan
NYC
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Sandflower to bring catchy, dance-rap to Pianos on 7/18
On her latest track "BUMP!," Brooklyn emcee Sandflower wants to see people do just as the song title suggests, bump and grind all night long. Considering the quality of her rapping and the Latin-inspired beat backing her, it’s likely she’ll see her wishes come true whenever this track is played. The production is devilishly simple, comprised solely of staccato drum grooves, grimy synth patterns, and alarm-clock-like samples that are sure to tap into adrenaline reserves and get bodies in motion. Sandflower’s monotone vocals, reminscent of Atlanta’s rapper Father, make for a nice contrast with the raucousness of the beat, getting a boost when Migs Migster joins her own the track’s simple hook. This now makes two quality tracks for the young Brooklyn emcee, the other being "Do Whatchu Wanna." You can see her live when she performs at Piano’s on 7/18. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber
San Francisco
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Silent Pictures’ Album Let It Begin Streaming in Full
San Francisco psych-gaze group, Silent Pictures are debuting their sophomore LP, Let it Begin for a limited time via Soundcloud. A mix of beachy reverb-jangle, big choruses, swirling strings and more, the full album serves as an excellent demonstration of the group’s wide-spanning expertise and experience.
Philadelphia
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Weekend Warrior, July 15 – 17
The joyous jangle-pop of four-piece Literature is part of a stacked billing at PhilaMOCA this Saturday. The band’s tightly compacted tunes invite you to let loose, smoothly surfing through your ears in an exuberantly catchy bounce. Their brand of indie-pop cruises in a stable, on-the-move, percussive nature as chilled waves of drifting vocal harmony balance the rush of adrenaline-laced instrumentation tempering the fervor. The confessional, melodic power pop of Hurry nonchalantly opens up lyrically, while demonstrating force in fortuitous flashes. With the simplicity of detailed yet semi-whispered, revealing, personal narratives that burst in exuberant moments, Free Cake For Every Creature’s open-book songs bring one in close while carrying a poignant energy. Weaving bits of post-punk, noise, and shoegaze together, Baltimore quintet Wildhoney, who are part of a upcoming 4-way split EP, Continental Drift, which also features Mercury Girls, complete this R5 booking. PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12th St., 8pm, $10, All Ages – Michael Colavita
Other places to escape the chill this weekend…
PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12th St.) SUN Mischief Brew, The Brood, Kahlil Ali, Teenage Bigfoot
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band, Sparrow Steeple, SAT Goodnight Lights, Bird Watcher, Tangiers
Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Song Dogs, The Rivals, Bryant Eugene Vazquez, SUN The Missile Toads, Dark Thoughts
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI The Whips/The West Kensingtons, SAT The Absolute Sky, Lord Bulldog/DJ PHSH, Patrice McBride, SUN Louie Louie, The Point Breeze Country Club
Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) FRI Cultureal, Jason Fraticelli Band, Jah People, SAT Tektonic, The Radicans
Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2nd St.) FRI The Silence Kit, Sun Hat, SAT Nathan Allebach, Second Child, Sonnder, The Band of Rivals, SUN Kate Nyx, Avenue Eight
The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) SAT Seraph in Travail, Ashes of Our Sins, I Vampyre, Scars Like These, Generation Empty, Signal To Noise
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI (Downstairs) Philly Gumbo, SAT (Upstairs) Soulidified
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI The Tisburys, Henry Alms, Father Figure, PeachFuzz, SAT (5pm) Andross, Hartline, Big City Noise/(8:30pm) Mock Suns, The Orange Drop, Tapes & Tubes, SUN Green Jeans
MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI Thee, Idea Men, SAT Soraia
Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3rd St.) FRI Nyxy Nyx, Wasnt Wisnt, Tinmouth, Minima Moralia, SAT Ugly Babies, Valley Exit, SUN Ron Gallo
Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI Bo Bliz, Low Budget, SAT DJ Deejay
Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SUN Rusty Cadillac
Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St) FRI Backroom Dreamers, Airways, Modzilla, SUN Poor Devil Trash Boy, When Ships Collide
Voltage Lounge (421 N. 7th St.) SAT The Phonies
The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI American Dinosaur, Delmont, Ray Bradley, SAT Misty Plum, E Joseph & The Sparrows, Danielle and Jennifer
Morgan’s Pier (221 N. Columbus Blvd.) FRI DJ Beatstreet, SAT Mr. Sonny James
Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI Rasputin’s Room, SAT Ed Christof,, SUN Maddonalesque
Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) SAT Splintered Sunlight, Three Fourteen
The Pharmacy (1300/02 S. 18th St.) FRI Stippling, Stucco
Everybody Hits (529 W. Girard Ave.) SAT Honey Radar, Blowdryer
LAVA Space (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT John Sharkey III
Titan House (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT QQQ, Cumquat (Tape Release), Cemetery Flowers
Tralfamadore (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Trash Boy, Along the Way
Shred Shed (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Population Zero, Narcos,
Second Empire (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SUN Enamel, Carried Away
NYC
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Brooklyn grindcore band Mary Todd to Play St. Vitus on 7.17
Combining traditional grindcore with math rock shredding and a strong death metal sensibility, Mary Todd delivers explosive tracks that never leave the listener in one place for long. Climbing bass lines are pitted against complex guitar riffs, often threatening to drop off into total musical mayhem, but in a single swift motion, seamlessly return to navigating tightly through the tracks. Check them out for what can only be a face-melting set at St. Vitus on 7/17/16 opening for Old Lines and Prisoner. – Olivia Sisinni
NYC
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Elison Jackson to release new EP and play The Press Room on 7/16
On their latest EP Silver Sounds: Hallucinations, Elison Jackson, a band split between Philly and New Haven, CT, added an extra layer to their already (very) psychedlic sound, by dropping a record that resembles a psychedlic experience in of itself. Each track on the EP is distinct in genre, thus providing a true "trip’ through different kinds of music. On "Ghost Fucker," they kick-off with a forebodingly minimalist psych-rock song, but then immediately shift to loud guitar-rock on "Thru the Trees." From there they go from folk-pop to psych pop moments, to finish off with a sludgy folk rock song entitled Wal-Mart. Elison Jackson recently released trippy visuals for "Ghost Fucker," and you can catch them at The Press Room with People Like You on July 16. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber
Philadelphia
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The Rivals Reunite at Boot & Saddle July 15
Tonight at Boot and Saddle is a full lineup of Philadelphia artists who find their strength in nostalgia. The Rivals will reunite for one evening, and bring their brooding, psychedelic rock, with influences ranging from The Doors to The Black Keys. The moody harmonies and intricate guitars are what drive the tunes forward. The band is returning to the scene for this show, so expect some serious solos and a whole lot of energy from a group that has been dormant for a bit. Also performing is the high energy acoustic rock of Bryant Eugene Vasquez, who is part Lou Reed and part Modest Mouse. The California native has been in Philly for the past 2 years, and the ups and downs of moving to our humble city resulted in his most recent effort All Damn Day/ The Greatest Hits. Both artists are opening for classic rock outfit Song Dogs in what will be a great night in South Philly filled with good friends and tunes. Boot & Saddle, 1131 Broad St., $12, 8pm, 21+ – Adam G.
Philadelphia
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New Psalmships LP Available for Streaming & Download
Delve into the resounding, haunting openness of Obvious + Unafraid, the new record from the Joshua Britton-led musical vehicle Psalmships. Enlisting the help of Chelsea Sue Allen as well as Brad Hinton, this collection captures a sense of solemn catharsis. These stirring songs reveal much in a chilling, bare manner that’ll occupy one’s thoughts for a while.