We previewed a single the latest from Tower Defense about this time last month, at the time calling it "Devo with a short circuit." Those frantic late-70’s new wave leanings that drew us initially are present throughout the whole EP, giving an urgency to the whole affair. It’s remarkably robotic, in the most enjoyable way. Even the guitars are fuzzed out to the point that they sound less like stringed instruments and more like you’re being admonished for entering the wrong password on some kind of outdated terminal.

See Tower Defense at the 5 Spot this Saturday (03.26) with garage punkers Vamptones and human safety hazards Hans Condor. –Austin Phy

If you just so happen to be at the narrow crossroads of "training for a marathon" and "working on my PBR shotgunning speed," then boy do we have a game plan for you.

You’re gonna want to start out at Soft Junk, where Fly Golden Eagle is kicking things up at 7:30. They’re playing a stacked bill with solo sets from Peter Stringer-Hye and Joey Plunkett (of Promised Land Sound and JP5, respectively), with Lionlimb rounding the night out. Hang out there and take full advantage of that BYOB designation until about 9, when you’ll need to start checking in with your pals who couldn’t be assed to leave their apartments for the early show and instead skipped right to the Cold Lunch Recordings-produced show over at The East Room. That’s where you’ll be able to indulge in some delicious 60’s fetishism with The Jag, Crease Reader, and Lasso Spells. From there it’s up to you to play it by ear, but the whole jaunt between the two is only 0.6 miles and I know there’s at least one little booze stop between the two to keep you stocked with the vitamins you need. 

What we’re looking at is basically a de facto locals-only Gallatin Ave music fest tonight, so check it out and say ‘sup to the buddies you almost definitely have in one or more of the bands involved. –Austin Phy

Do you have two minutes and maybe an entire neighborhood to burn? Dig the cockroaches out of your ears and turn them toward "Ruin," the first single off an upcoming full length from Boro punk staples Tennessee Scum. Gone are the surf leanings of previous Scum releases, instead taking full advantage of a slimmer studio lineup and the addition of Wes Mitchell—former drummer of the now-defunct Megajoos, a band whose demise has inspired many 40s to be poured from my own porch in tribute—to turn the fury up as high as the knob goes.  As is tradition with Tennessee Scum tracks, this one burns out fast but leaves a mark for a long, long time.

Catch them at Charlie Bob’s on April 1, lest you yourself be the April fool for missing out. –Austin Phy

Something Other Than the Earth is a to-the-point package of what you really want when you’re in a doom metal mood—to hell with subtlety; just give me the heavy. It’s all here: thunderous guitars bellowing over a tundra of broken amps, intricate, twisting solos giving way to gut-churning chords, and Lovecraftian horrors explored in no particular hurry through track lengths in the double digits. Compound that with some in-your-face drums that would make Steve Albini cry (or whatever the max setting on his emotion dial looks like) and you’ve got an album with the heft and velocity to smash a whole city block. –Austin Phy

The self-titled EP from Sky Temple Blues is pastiche of eras and genres that seem to take more influence from time periods than specific bands. The result is that you get a series of brief moments of familiarity, like "I think they might be going for Pink Floyd right there," but the sound is gone as soon as you’ve finished articulating the thought. It’s a big ol’ steamy pot of stew full of mystery meats where one bite is completely different than the last, so we’d advise you grab a spoon and dig in. -Austin Phy

Copperfox has its roots out West. Founding members Rory Mohon and Lisa Garcia packed up their instruments and moved to Nashville from Portland, OR, which is about as far west as you can go without getting saltwater in your hightops. And while they’ve certainly picked up some Nashville cues since getting their current lineup functioning in early 2015, they’ve held on tight to some out-west surf vibes straight into their recent Haunts EP. Composed of two songs and a remix of each, Haunts pulls together an impressively diverse set of influences from electronica and synthpop to the aforementioned jangly, shimmery rock leanings. 

Check out Haunts below and follow the appropriate channels for updates from the band, including information about an upcoming tour. –Austin Phy

The political season is on, and it can get nasty. Even if you’re able to ignore the attack ads and mud-covered debate spectacles, we’ve all probably sneered a vicious sneer or two at a neighbor’s disagreeable lawn sign or bumper sticker.

But who said a tight voting contest has to tear households apart? While the stakes may be a little lower than the fate of a nation, it still warms our rotten hearts to see Deli Readers’ Poll competitors Damned Rivers sharing a bottle of bubbly and a song with their second-place co-occupants Terrible. In our analysis of the poll results and the dead tie between the two bands, you may remember that we suggested "maybe Damned Rivers could make an appearance on that rad-ass live series Terrible has been producing," and we’re delighted to see that they delivered. Check out the video of that session below and, since they’re such a bunch of upstanding guys and a personal favorite of ours, we’ve also embedded the inuagural episode featuring Terrible. –Austin Phy

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Bummr City is the kind of band that doesn’t want you getting too comfortable with what they do. These guys have been around for the past year or so putting out a consistent flow of releases hailing from all over the way-out lands of lo-fi recording. So how does a band continue to surprise when they’ve worked exclusively in the domain of the unpredictable? In the case of "IOWASKA," lead single from the upcoming The Death of Cool, the band subverts expectation by, ironically, moving in a more conventional direction. They haven’t eliminated the grainy weirdness found in their earlier releases—we are still talking about a track named after the phonetic pronunciation of a substance that’s easier to say than spell after administering—but instead have cultivated it, refining their songcraft and taking to the studio for a much more polished end result. It takes an amount of confidence in your own sound to move toward what’s more recognizable without losing what makes you unique, and Bummr City has pulled it off.

If you love a good show and hate vowels, make sure to see Bummr City tomorrow (3.10) at Drkmttr with Darkwing, The Mumzees, and The Plastic Bags. –Austin Phy

Not able to make it down to Austin and the sad demise of Couch by Couchwest has left a hole in your heart the size of the Lone Star State? Wipe those salty ol’ tears away, because the Basement East is giving us a chance to bid farewell to a couple choice locals, at the same time helping them with gas money for the long drive toward the border. Read up on the groups below and make a stop by The Beast this Thursday (03.10) to see it all go down.

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ELEL

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times—ELEL is one of the most promising groups we can name. Their live show is a blast, every release is polished to perfection, and the music is so upbeat and catchy that we’re convinced "el-el" must be the sound it makes when joy claps.

Soft Bodies

Remember reading all about the debut EP from Soft Bodies all the way back in January? We dug it then, we dig it now, and we highly recommend you check out their textured, easygoing electronic vibes live.

KiND

KiND’s Eunoia is a trip through varying expressions of electronic music from modern, dance-y numbers to more pensive tracks that get you nodding along all the same, but more like you’re examining a black-and-white photo in a gallery exhibit.

The Gills

These guys have been keeping info about their debut LP locked down tight, but everything we’ve heard so far points to a thick stew of varying alt, punk, and hard rock influences that goes down easy and should keep you full for a good long while.

(On the other hand, if you are planning on being at SXSW, now’s the best time to start planning by taking a peek at the Deli Magazine’s preview coverage. Once you get there, don’t forget to check out our Stompbox Exhibit and Synth Space events, both of which are free and will give you a shot to try out some real fancy gear. Also keep an eye out for the Deli SXSW print edition, which can help you out as an invaluable guide around town, some reading material for when you’re waiting on a show to start, and in emergency situations, a little life-saving protection from the Texas sun.)

We still have some wintertime to go, but if the cold-weather blues have you down and staring at your offbrand lightbox isn’t doing anything but making the dreary morning reality harder to face, then The Innocents EP might be just what you need. It’s indie pop first and foremost with some surf leanings to keep things fresh, but the band’s tasteful instrumental finesse and penchant for earworm melodies subvert any twee blandness that label might imply.

The Innocents EP is available for streaming via Bandcamp, Spotify, and—since the 30-day trial you started to listen to The Life of Pablo is probably still going—Tidal. –Austin Phy

If you’re reading coverage on psych-folksters Lionlimb (and you are), you’ll more than likely hear a mention of Angel Olsen (and you have). And reasonably so—it’s an interesting tidbit of musical genealogy that the two guys behind Lionlimb have previously best been known as members of her band. Her shadow is undeniably a large one to escape, but if there’s anyone who could teach folks a thing or two about escaping big shadows, it’s former Bonnie "Prince" Billy acolyte Olsen.  

It seems that these guys have learned that lesson and then some, as proudly showcased on the recently released-for-streaming Shoo. A nonstop soulful, groovy album offering its own take on 60’s-styled pop in a modern context, Shoo flows effortlessly from one piece to the next. It doesn’t demand your attention in any kind of aggressive way, but even if you turn your eyes toward another task, good luck keeping your head from bobbing along with the beat. To boast that these guys can stand on their own is an insult to what’s going on here. There’s no sense of trying too hard to make a path for themselves; they just let it roll, and the end result is rock-solid.

Shoo is available for streaming in full right now and is set for official release on March 3. –Austin Phy

"Carolina," the first single off the upcoming full-length from local shredders Commander Keen is a big ol’ beef patty sizzling on the grill. It’s not a slow burner; the edges are plenty crispy and standing too close is a good way to get your face melted off. Taking cues from heavyweight punk groups like Titus Andronicus with a heavy dose of Dinosaur Jr. skate vibes, there’s a lot to unpack here from the thick riffs to a rhythm section that just won’t dial it down, no matter how many times the neighbors call the cops. It wouldn’t be unwarranted for you to feel a little bloated and exhausted at the end of it all. But you know you actually want another serving, yeah?

Catch Commander Keen with Terrible, Mouth Reader, and BUMMRcity this Thursday (03.03) at Drkmttr. It’s a packed-out bill featuring some of our favorite locals, and you’d be a damn fool to sleep on it. –Austin Phy