This Friday Throwin’ Bo’s has a showcase of Bay Area bands that are sure to keep you energized and moving. Oakland’s Babewatch is surfy garage rock with just the right amount of punk. Stress Dreams isn’t as stressful as it sounds but they do describe themselves as “rat” music. Well said, we guess. Local dream catch Shutups are playing the bill, along with the quietest of the bunch, Andy Bender. Need some folk rock with more melodies and twists than you bargained for? Listen to Andy Bender! And come on down to Eli’s Mile High Club. -Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

Those seeking a more minimalistic punk offering will find respite in the music of Quaker Wedding, whose 2019 Demo finds its strength in aggressive, electric guitar-driven songs and frothy vox. Recorded and released in February of last year, the immediacy in its release is instantaneously felt; tracks are concise, appropriately discordant, and without any unnecessary bells and whistles, perfect listening for fans of groups like Japandroids or Fucked Up. Give it a spin below, and see Quaker Wedding at the Windjammer on January 12th.

Lily Desmond’s EP Growing Flowers offers a wide selection of sounds as a debut effort, all of which highlight the artist’s songwriting chops and penchant for ear worm alternative sounds. Beginning on a lush, minimally acoustic note with extended play opener “O Hunter” before going grittily electric on “Oleander Eyes,” culminating with the orchestral and dramatic closer “Glory,” Desmond has no qualms with keeping things interesting, exploring different genres with an ease and comfort few can pull off on a first attempt. As such, the entirety of Growing Flowers provides something for everyone, a pleasant smorgasbord that shows an artist willing to explore a variety of differing instrumentations. Stream it below, and see Lily Desmond at Alphaville on January 11th, supporting Ruby and Lady Pills.

I Spent The Winter Writing Songs About Getting Better is a verbose album title, matched by the rapid, pop-punk delivery New York outfit Proper brings to each of the album’s sunny fourteen tracks. With no shortage of self-effacing witticisms and complaints about quotidian inconveniences amidst a record-spanning desire for self-betterment, Proper embeds their latest LP with an aspirational philosophy that’s matched by melodic, massive riffs and a breakbeat pace. Never too emo or too poppy, Winter sets realistic expectations for both itself and the listener, a sobering assessment of things as they are; listen below, and see Proper play at Bushwick Public House on January 11th, supporting MakeWar, Pass Away, and In The Meantime. —Connor Beckett McInerney

New York punk veterans Weeping Icon returned late last year to deliver their self-titled LP, an exciting venture into the worlds of noise and electronic, a disorienting effort that upends expectations at every corner. Alternating between guitar-driven rides and sound collage vignettes, Weeping Icon basks in the experimental, effortlessly switching between spoken-word dirges on tracks like “Natural Selection” to screaming hostile takeovers on songs like “Power Trip” and “Ripe for Consumption.” In incorporating facets both harsh and experimental, the band taps into uncharted sonic territory that is engrossing and terrifying; listen below, and catch Weeping Icon at DRTY SMMR on January 10th, alongside Faccia Brutta and SIGNAL.