“Everything Sucks” closes out the new release, BPD, via Jim Atchley and Em Downing, a.k.a. Leadrs. The Missouri transplants deliver a surging, hazy menace. Caught between the quagmire of the outside world and personal happiness at the private level is a tough spot to reside but easier to empathize in. You can catch Leadrs with Sun Organ and Coffee [the pairing Andy Moholt (Laser Backrground, Speedy Ortiz) and Julian Fader (Ava Luna)] this Saturday, January 13 at All Nite Diner.

Electro duo Damn Right offers listeners an introspective yet hopeful slew of anthems on their latest full-length Zeitgeist. Tom Bradel and John Fissinger’s synth-drenched ballads are a timely balm capable of easing the discomfort of winter’s chill.

Beginning with “Our Love Is Blue,” Damn Right’s LP opens with a question – do you believe in miracles” – which quickly blooms into a conversation of sorts, comprised of a series of musings that will make you examine how you define romance and attraction. Coupled with subtle licks of bass and polished vocals, “Our Love Is Blue” is a pragmatic love song with luminescent truth at its center. “Nan Man,” is a mellow yet passionate litany of emotion, enhanced by a delectably retro backbeat and confessional lines like “you know that I don’t know how to end it/I never really end it.”

The album’s title track “Zeitgeist” begins with enticing chords that evolve into a pop-drenched, lush melody. Paired with meditative lyricism, the track urges listeners to consider their mortality and the way time can alter one’s identity, while “The Calling” is a reflective homage to friendship and self-discovery. Reminiscent of Wild Nothing’s Life of Pause and/or Craft Spells’ Idle Labor, Damn Right’s ability to unpack their feelings without being overly sentimental makes the song not just enjoyable but also memorable. “Hawaiian Justice Part 1” and “Hawaiian Justice Part 2” feel like a tropical instrumental riff on Glass Candy’s  “Digital Versicolor,” meshed with the energetic pulse of College & Electric Youth’s “A Real Hero.” Both tracks set the tone for the rest of the album, which is comprised of dance-ready offerings, defined by swelling chords and throbbing drum machines.

“Sleep in the Stars” and “Wait for Me” are cinematic and satisfyingly rhythmic, with “This is Leather” being delectable, moody cut that will make you think of the ‘80s in the best of ways before giving way to the album’s brief yet gripping “Outro. As buzzing synth rises and falls alongside the delicate trill of birdsong, Damn Right manages to seamlessly bridge the gap between the natural world and the fabricated within seconds, ending Zeitgeist in a fashion that fully lives up to its namesake.  – Dianca London 

Krust Toons: "Getting the Band Back Together" by Tedd Hazard – please feel free to drop him a line at teddandthehazards@gmail.com if you dig or have any funny ideas. You can also check out more of his illustrations and animation shorts HERE.