The ironic rock quintet, Hobart W Fink, have officially released an EP this month, titled, ‘Four Tails, Five Eyes.’ The first single, “Hundred Dollar Bill,” got the video treatment, and it’s one you won’t be able to look away from. Co-lead singers, Jayk Gallagher and Marie Bollinger end the video in a rather unexpected way, as they try to fit in with and impress a rather ‘hip’ group of scenestars. Peep the video below, and catch the band live Aug. 6 at Silverlake Lounge. – Jacqueline Caruso

Fuzzed-out garage is the norm in the local LA scene, but sometimes don’t you wish those guitars sounded sparkling and vibrant? Palisades quintet DEBT are ones who focus on evoking melody over discord, and the over-too-quickly six minutes that makes up their EP Iceland hits with both slick precision and hooks that are right on the surface. Circling arpeggios and minor-key chords abound over breakneck drum patterns, dominated by a melliflous approach reminiscent of mid-eighties SST Records. For those of us who may be coming up on thirty shortly like myself, it does bring back the good ol’ days of MTV 2 when it actually meant something. Only time will tell if DEBT ends up changing the life of some youngster whose just discovering his or her favorite band. But as their still-nascent discography proves, they’re certainly doing their homework by working from some fine sources.

My first introduction to Raw Geronimo was a mesmerizing, transcendent experience. I had heard of their reputation for rousing, electricfying live shows; their DIY, punk backgrounds, but nothing could have prepared me for what they were about to do on stage at The Echo on August 24, 2012. I was there to see Julia Holter, but my curiosity about Raw Geronimo led me to arrive early enough to catch their opening set. It’s one I will never forget. Expecting electric guitars and amps to be loaded to the stage, to my delight and awe, the band walked on with string instruments. The group had prepared a special acoustic set for this show, one in which, frontwoman, Laena Geronimo, did something I’ve never seen before. She played a violin and sang lead vocals. It was a majestic performance. Laena and her bandmates are incredibly proficient, boundary-pushing artists. And now, their unique and varied influences converge on the debut LP, ‘Dream Fever,’ set for release July 30 on Neurotic Yell Records. The first single, “Magnetic Love,” is an emotionally earnest, hopeful, and rollicking tune. All that is special about this spellbinding group is on full display. It is in it’s own way anthemic, and Geronimo’s voice takes center stage, soaring above jangling guitars and bombastic drums. Raw Geronimo perform at Amoeba today at 7pm, where the album will be available for purchase ahead of it’s release. – Jacqueline Caruso

When she’s not busy fronting Dirty Dishes, LA-based musician Jenny Tuite writes and records as Cloud Cover— an outlet for her dark, brooding, droning pop tendencies. Cloud Cover’s debut self-titled EP, released earlier this month, digs deep into the trenches of lo-fi psychedelia using as few materials as possible, it seems. Standout track “Cannibalism" has a fittingly unsettling video to accompany it, made up of spliced-together clips from classic films. Once you get a taste of “Cannibalism" and find yourself wanting more, grab a limited edition handmade cassette from her bandcamp page. 

Rambunctious garage quartet FIDLAR continue to enjoy their banner year by releasing new single "Awkward", an entirely new song to surface since the release of their self-titled debut earlier this year. The song has less of the sloppy, flighty abandon of the aforementioned and takes a more pure-pop songwriting approach, but it’s not that far off from what we expect from FIDLAR: Zac Carper continues to highlight a self-deprecating personality with an infectiously catchy chorus, not to mention that it also strikes with a crunchy power chord that’s gritty as it is melodic. Also, is there a hint of Moog synthesizer in the chorus (The Rentals, anyone?) In short, not much has changed for these guys and all the better for it. "Awkward" will comprise one side of a tour-only, split 7" with touring mates The Orwells. 

Pink Mexico is the project of Robert Preston, dripping the colors of grunge into a beautifully mixed album that truly identifies with the punk rock/ garage band style. It surpasses the abstract by putting in a notional array of deep transitions, heavy guitar strums, and at times, an occasional piano. Listeners of Pink Mexico have compared his music to others like The Dandy Warhols, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Wavves and Thee Oh Sees. But when asked about any form of influence towards his music, Preston had this to say, “ A friend of mine is a part of a renegade dance group called 1,2,3 Party and it is a lot of street dancing, taxi cab humping and basically just going insane. They even dance in the streets in these tiny shorts.” He’s laughing as he reminisces on the time he watched his friend take part, “Even though some of it is inappropriate, it’s inspirational because he’s not afraid to do what he loves and that’s huge.”

Many artists take inspiration from other artists, bands, and writers, or maybe even family or friends, but it is true that creativity can arise from the strangest of places. Layers create the psychedelic track "Daisyface" (one of my personal favorites), setting you back into what feels like another dimension of music. But with no person of interest in mind, a lot of Preston’s material in terms of lyrical content is fictional. “Most of the songs are loosely based on real life, sometimes foreshadowing the future or remembering the past,” says Preston. He is much more than a lyrical genius, but a stamp on the generation of music that is now filled with the clash of alternative rock and hard punk. People don’t understand how hard it is to be living in this day and age, but Preston’s music helps transform us into something we all long to be: ourselves. – Kayla Hay

Highly conceptual, the debut album from Body Parts is apparently inspired by a terrible nightmare frontman, Ryder Bach had of a close friend murdering his parents. The album explores these themes of life vs. death, dream vs. reality with the songwriting prowess of mature, seasoned technicians. With the first single, “Desperation,” the band explores even deeper textures and more complex rhythms mined from late 80s/early 90s art pop that has inspired their work to this point. ‘Fire Dream’ is set for release October 29 on Father/Daughter Records. Stream the single below and check out their August tour dates for a chance to see this impressive act live. – Jacqueline Caruso

07/27 Palm Springs, CA – Ace Hotel w/ Tropical Popsicle

08/09 San Francisco, CA – Neck of the Woods w/ Maston

08/10 Davis, CA – Sophia’s Thai Kitchen w/ Maston

08/11 Oakland, CA – Night Light

08/12 Boise, ID – The Crux

08/14 Portland, OR – Holocene

08/15 Seattle, WA – Columbia City Theater

08/18 Los Angeles, CA – Echo Park Rising

08/18 Orange County, CA – Constellation Room w/ Mt. Ossa

08/30 Los Angeles, CA – Skirball Cultural Center w/ Jenny O 

The latest from the Topanga Canyon-based duo, VUM, is a slick, moody video for their single, “Are You Animal?” The black and white video moves slowly through images of a group of bad asses doing possibly shady, bad ass style things – like riding a motorcycle, and smashing plates on their faces. The song is a drone-y, blues leaning, psych rock ballad that is tailor made for a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack. While we anxiously await the promised summer 2013 full length release from the duo, catch VUM tonight at the Echo opening for the HOTT MT residency also featuring Gothic Tropic. – Jacqueline Caruso

Rootsy Blues, Indie Folk, Soul, and Rock are all represented in the tasty menagerie that makes up local quintet Terraplane Sun. They’ve released an EP chock full of radio friendly tunes that are sure to top the charts before they can blink. With a heavily upbeat west coast vibe, they blend their influences in the catchiest and most irresistible ways. With plenty of bluesy organ licks, punchy horns, handclaps, and the ever-soulful, smooth vocals of frontman, Ben Rothbard, the EP is one hit after another. Listening straight through brought back memories of early Black Keys, and more recently, the Broken Bells album from Shins frontman, James Mercer. Standouts, “Get Me Golden” and “Tell Me I’m Wrong,” are sure to be crowd pleasers. The band is graciously allowing fans to stream the EP in it’s entirety for free. They are setting out on tour with several opening dates for rising stars, Imagine Dragons, and The Mowgli’s. – Jacqueline Caruso

Jubilant quintet Family of the Year have been picking up traction for quite some time and if you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, they’re certainly trying their hardest to win your attention. Now they’ve released a performance video of their exultant, tropical-tinged "St. Croix", which doesn’t sport any bells or whistles: just the band looking their finest as they remind us once again to dance all night in slow motion. It really doesn’t hurt to listen to it just one more time, now does it? 

Garage punk duo, Spaceships, may bathe their songs in raw, lo-fi fuzz that’s as thick as London fog, but if you allow yourself to be consumed by it, you’ll walk right into the middle of the emotional energy of a generation lost at sea, past apathy, past anger, with a voice that yearns to be heard. The band is set to release their debut full length album, “Cool Breeze Over the Mountains,” a witty title befitting a neo-folk pop act, on Mock Records, July 23. The first single, “Ghost,” off the forthcoming LP fits into the west coast DIY landscape, but proves an authenticity with no sign of irony or kitsch, just solid youthful rock ‘n roll. This Friday, July 19, the duo will be playing The Smell to celebrate their record release, joined by Shark Toys, Snow Wite and Palm Reader. – Jacqueline Caruso

Dream Boys sure know their way around a memorable hook. The shmmering reverie of "Born Yesterday" is surely borne from the jangly templete pioneered by the Byrds, capturing a wistful mood that’s all the more potent with its mid-tempo thrust. The single demonstrates a stylistic simplicity that recalls the work of legendary producer Mitch Easter sans the guitar crunch of his power-pop heyday, opting to instead push forward a curl of ringing guitar lines and misty-eyed melodicism that perfectly evokes a warm, interminable summer day. It comes from their upcoming self-titled debut, which will be released via Art Fag in September.