What the latest from Onwego lacks in grit, it makes up in sheer cool smooooth. It’s slacker psych, no two ways about it, but it’s slacker psych that went through the effort to comb its hair and put a shirt on. With its guitar licks that wander but are never lost and an understated vocal delivery, this is music for the end of the party when it’s just you and a couple stragglers having a sloppy heart-to-heart on the front porch couch. 222 is set to release on March 27 but can be streamed right now via Bandcamp. -Austin Phy

If some enterprising crate digger 20 years from now decides to produce a Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from Nashville compilation, they’d be remiss not to include a couple cuts from first-wave “New Nashville” boys Chrome Pony. This Southern-bred garage outfit will be making their way to the Knitting Factory this Wednesday, January 13, to join up with locals Sam Kogon and Strange Kids. The show will set you back ten bucks, but the first taste (embedded below) is always free. -Austin Phy. Photo Courtesy of The Wild Honey Pie.

Pumpkinseed’s Holy Bits is the missing link that hopped an aeroplane off Avery Island and crash landed in the middle of a stormy sea. Taking turns between meditative and peaceful tracks like album opener “My Lord Swung Low” and ones driven by brute force and raw power like “Jaime,” Holy Bits is a work worth hearing the whole way through.

Fret not if all that gets you a little hot and bothered, because Pumpkinseed’s next Nashville gig is a house show tonight (January 7) at DRKMTTR with Mom & Dad, Commander Keen, and Sweet Cheeks. -Austin Phy 

You’ve heard, right? Country music is cool again. You’d think rootsy Americana musicians were cicadas given their decades of silence followed by the omnipresent buzz we’re hearing now. And while this may be news on the national stage, those of us living in the heart of it know that groups like Natural Forces have been riding those heartworn highways for years now.

It Takes All Kinds, the group’s crowdfunded second full-length, is an exercise in branching out while keeping close to your roots. Maintaining a consistent touring schedule while pumping out catchy tunes one after another might be a stretch for some, but for these boys, it just comes naturally. -Austin Phy. Photo courtesy of Lightning 100.

 Who needs drugs when you’ve got CHALAXY?

The Nashville psych pop 5-piece have earned a reputation for bringing the party and positive vibes with their energetic, playful and ever-evolving live shows, and their latest single "Vs. Eros" is a glowing reminder that they’ve got the musical chops to match (and a serious tease for their upcoming album.) Exhibiting their continued growth as a band with more complex dynamics and tasteful experimentation, "Vs. Eros" is a psychedelic swirl of electronic folk rock with a rhythm funky enough to shake a tailfeather to.

Give the trippy single a listen below and get showered with a literal shit-ton of confetti at their release show tomorrow night 12.11 at The East Room with Oh, Grandpa, aave and Soft Bodies. (Get there before 10pm, and it’s free!) -Caroline Bowman

  Eggnog, gift-giving, a much-needed break from work and/or school: The holidays are awesome. And since Thanksgiving has finally passed, we can all unashamedly begin the 24-day pre-game leading up to the big day, complete with a carefully-procured festive playlist. And trust us, we like the classic Christmas tunes as much as the next blog, but listening to local artists put his/her own spin on a holiday favorite, that’s worth toasting to.

Nashville-based soul pop artist Dustin Ransom has gifted us with his sexy, modern version of "Merry Christmas Baby," and we’re dropping it right in your stocking. With Ransom’s layered R&B-inspired vocals atop a smooth, smokey throwback groove, the track is perfect for a classy holiday party or a night cuddled up by the fire.

"I just thought it would be fun to take this song. which is normally performed in a more blues-oriented fashion, and make it into a lo-fi funk thing a la D’Angelo or There’s A Riot Goin’ On-era Sly & The Family Stone. I played all the instrumentation on the track, sang all the vocals and mixed it as well. I honestly would love to do a whole Christmas record in a similar fashion, but that will have to wait for another time…!" says Ransom. Guess we’ll just have to put that on our list for next year.

To hear more of Ransom’s sophisticated soul, check out his EP Thread on Fire on Noisetrade. For every 200 EP downloads, he’ll be releasing one new acoustic track. And once he hits 2500, he’ll release another EP and start bringing his music to the stage. -Caroline Bowman

 Cassette-heads rejoice! The young bloods in Boyscott, the Nashville based surf rock group, released a new full-length cassette aptly titled Goosebumps, on 11.17, via Pizza Tape Records. Deft guitar tones and sweet male-female vocal exchanges set the tone of a beguiling debut reminiscent of The Drums or Beach Fossils.

 Comparisons aside, where such similar debuts maintained a one-dimensional approach, Boyscott’s Goosebumps offers more versatility, with songs like “Blonde Blood” and “Nova Scotia 500” establishing surf-rock sensibilities, only to be purposefully challenged by the worldly “Marco Polo.”

Other songs simply stun in both tone and composition, none more notably than “Killer Whale,” presumably highlighting an awkward dichotomy between two people recently acquainted. All in all, Goosebumps provides a proper introduction to one of Nashville’s soon-to-be preeminent surf rock groups, Boyscott. -Sean McHugh

Nashville-based folk pop 4-piece Pageant are set to release their sophomore EP "Endless Sun" this Friday 11.13, and since we got a sneak peek (our favorite part of this gig,) you can take it from us, it’s a dandy!

Featuring a sibling vocal duo atop acoustic-driven poppy choruses and building rhythms with splashes of auxiliary horns and strings, the EP is earthy and personal with universal themes of love and life. Their single "Don’t Stop the Rain" highlights the group’s folksy roots with call-and-response style vocals and harmonica for good measure, while the EP’s last track "It’s Your Love"  is a piano-laden celebration that will fill your soul to the brim.

Check out the heart-warming video below for "Beautiful (Caught Up in the Moment)," featuring actors from Chicago’s legendary Second City improv enterprise, and grab your tickets for Pageant’s release show THIS FRIDAY 11.13 at Left Plus Right Studio with Kyle Cox, Brother Sister Stone and Brian Revels here. -Caroline Bowman

 With the garage rock resurgence in full swing, rock ‘n’ roll is returning to the days of packed, sweaty house shows, DIY releases and handmade band merch. And I couldn’t be happier.

Nashville, particularly the east side, is a hot bed for lo-fi gold, and local psych punk 4-piece Step Sisters are my latest find.

Catchy enough to get stuck in your head and heavy enough to let you know they mean business, Step Sisters are doing grunge right. And their 4-song release, dropped earlier this year, is like smashing a lava lamp and pouring the contents directly into your brain. See for yourself and grab the EP here. -Caroline Bowman

 Louisville indie alt rock/country 5-piece Quiet Hollers have been garnering some serious attention after their self-titled release late last month. Their blended 10-song concoction has hints of folk, post rock and sad bastard country with strong notes of personal insight and woe. "Quiet Hollers" is definitely one of those albums best listened to on long drives in your car… where it’s ok to cry. 

But the guys offer more than introspective narratives and solid hooks. They have a great sense of humor.

In response to a request made during crowdfunding efforts, Quiet Hollers have released a cover video for Madonna’s "Material Girl." And it is oddly amazing. Give it a try below and catch them 12.5 at The Basement. -Caroline Bowman

 Sure, they call cokes "sodas" and don’t put enough barbeque sauce on anything and scoff when we mention the cold weather, but some folks from above the Mason-Dixon aren’t half bad. And if Yankee Blood‘s debut EP "Honey" is any indication, these indie dream pop carpetbaggers are earning their keep in Music City.

After years of performing as a solo folk act, frontwoman Kelly Ruth traded in her upright bass for synth pedals, met up with her creative counterparts, James Karp and Adam Verone, and together, they are putting a spin on alt pop that will satisfy a sweet tooth you didn’t even know you had. With Ruth’s breathy vocals atop combinations of traditional and sampled drums and a tele with a healthy amount of reverb, Yankee Blood are swirling together classic instrumentation and modern effects to create a sway-inducing sugar-rimmed cocktail. And we’re ordering another round.

"Honey," put out by Palaver Records, is a 4-song Philly cotton candy daydream with radio-friendly hooks and enough depth to resonate with the sometimes-hard-to-please Nashville crowd. Come out to their EP release show at The Stone Fox TONIGHT at 8:30 pm to hear them live with The Gad Gods, Cataline Crime and Kylie Rothfield and pick up a copy. -Caroline Bowman

 Nashville-based vintage rock 4-piece Sky Temple Blues have bluesy psych-rock pulsing through their veins. With driving rhythms and wailing guitar riffs, the guys are pumping out high-energy Zeppelin-meets-Soundgarden tunes, and they’ve teamed up with 24th Frame Media to bring us their debut music video for "Arrow in the Sun."

Set in Bikini Atoll Productions’ recording studio, the video captures Sky Temple Blues in their natural habitat: jamming super hard to their latest single.

After watching it, we have to agree with the band. It’s badass.   -Caroline Bowman