Low Mein was birthed in an NYC coffee shop by musicians Eric Jaso and Shaun Wong. The duo offers the kind of upbeat slacker rock that gets blood pumping and immediately brings the jangly, beachy influence of bands like Girls to mind. Their latest single “Beach Party,” is a luminous, youthful anthem about the rapture of enjoying simple things. Fuzzy guitars, melodic bass, and rapid shaker rhythms sync to create a sonic and aesthetic world all its own. Don’t miss their set tomorrow at Alphaville and check out the single below. – Andrew Strader

gobbinjr is the brainchild of Wisconsin native Emma Witmer, whose rawness and minimalism in 2016 EP vom night might bring to mind a more synthpop version of Frankie Cosmos. Atop self-produced tracks filled with ethereal synths floating over slow-pulsing drum machines, and bursting with a wide variety of influences, lay Witmer’s intensely antisocial lyrics (the irony being that the songwriting itself has become the vehicle for sociability). They paint a picture of a helplessly shy writer with the song as her one authentically viable communication outlet. Lines like “I feel creepy all the time / ‘cause I like everybody more than they like me” and “maybe we all end up in space / undeserving of this friendly place” serve as social critique cloaked in the aesthetic of teenage diary entries. In this light, vom night proves to masterfully balance the head and the heart, becoming a provocative witness of the times with a simple, pop-centered approach.

You can catch their next show on Wednesday, December 6th at Mercury Lounge. – Andrew Strader

Jane Church is the kind nostalgically charged slacker rock that serves as a much-needed mile marker of the times. The man behind the moniker, Jackson Church, croons with a King Tuff-esque indifference about taking pills, vacant homes, empty streets, heartbreak, vandalism, pissing off bridges and the overall bizarre spirit of the age in debut tracks “Demolition USA” and “Streets Are Empty”.

Chuch’s songwriting tows the line between apocalyptic vision and protest. The simplicity of the acoustic rhythm guitars, “la-la-las” and single-note electric solos bring ’70s Bob Dylan to mind, while the disillusionment inherent in the lyrical themes summons the same infinitely spiraling facetiousness as indie rock giants like Father John Misty and Foxygen. If Church aims to provide a provocative yet accurate soundtrack for our confused modern sociopolitical climate and time, he’s hitting the bullseye.

You can check out Jane Church’s set at Mercury Lounge this Saturday, November 18^th or at Baby’s All Right on Monday, December 4^th. Pick up a copy of the “Demolition USA” single through the link below. – Andrew Strader

Now that Christmas is around the corner I just want to remind you that the best gift for any occasion is a Rubik’s Cube.