Cave People’s Dave Tomaine is quite proud of his youthful love of BSB (a.k.a. The Backstreet Boys), inspired by his local music friends, and has actually opened for a political puppeteer. So obviously, we can’t help but have a warm spot for him and his latest EP Older on this cold day. You can also learn more about our most recent Featured Artist(s) Poll Winner in his humorous interview HERE.

Below is the latest single from Philly producer/emcee Hezekiah “Hologram Dreams,” featuring Range Da Messenga. The track, which will appear on his upcoming EP Dreams Don’t Chase Themselves (schedule for release on February 10), takes you to church with soulful notes and touches of keys. There will be a listening party for the album and jam session held tomorrow night at Saint Lazarus Bar.

As we prepare to trudge through the mess of winter, Space Drugs‘ debut LP, Black Dog Takes The Bait, could be a fitting soundtrack. The trio establishes a salty, gritty texture which is emotionally raw and agitated with instrumentation that is solemnly aloof yet prepared to get aggressive and smash something at any moment. Check it out for yourself in its entirety below!

Last October while local five-piece Cheerleader were up in New York at CMJ Music Marathon, they took a few moments to step in front of the cameras for Paste at Brooklyn’s The Living Room to play the group’s latest single "The Sunshine of Your Youth." The stripped-down performance of the intimately reflective song uses the comfortable elements of acoustic guitar and harmonized vocals, taking a look back while focusing on the here and now. As you ruminate, take a peek at the calendar where Cheerleader will be performing alongside The Wombats on April 23 at Union Transfer, which will be the kickoff to their nearly month-long tour.

Pop-punk duo Girlpool reveals a bit of a sensitive side for its former home, Los Angeles, in the group’s latest music video, "Chinatown." The track is off the band’s upcoming 7", which will be available on March 24 via Wichita Recordings. You’ll find Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad performing next in Philly at PhilaMOCA on Tuesday, February 3 at the sold-out R5 show with Alex G and Teen Suicide. (Photo by Alice Baxley)

Below is the HotBox Session video with The Districts that we mentioned earlier. The fellas are getting ready for the release of their forthcoming LP A Flourish and a Spoil on February 10 via Fat Possum. Check out the performance of "4th and Roebling," a song that is sure to be a concert and new record favorite. You can catch it live on Valentine’s Day when their tour makes a stop for a little hometown love at Union Transfer.

Krust Toons: "Solo Album" by Teddy Hazard – please feel free to drop him a line at teddandthehazards@gmail.com if you dig or have any funny ideas. You can also check out more of his illustrations HERE.

Title Fight’s third full-length LP (and first on ANTI- Records), Hyperview, won’t be officially released until February 3. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t listen to it now. Streaming via NPR’s First Listen, the album once again finds the band teaming up with producer Will Yip, delving further into the band’s spacey, shoegazing side while still retaining their punk roots. Title Fight roll into town on Thursday, March 26 at Union Transfer.

Dr. Dog recently dropped their new album Live At A Flamingo Hotel (ANTI- Records). Here’s a new music video for one of the tracks off the new record called "The Rabbit, The Bat and The Reindeer," which originally appeared on the band’s 2008 LP Fate. Guitarist/vocalist Scott McMicken proclaimed, "Our buddy Coach made this video. He’s done a lot of stuff for us over the past few years and he keeps getting better at it. There’s a lot that happens at a show over the course of this one song and he did a great job of capturing that energy."

Lifetime friends, Davey Cope and Damian Mason, who make up the local New Wave parody duet LeBon LeBon, planned on having a low-key release party for their debut album Devices. You know – they’d play some stuff off the record, and have some friends come to help them out, and maybe even sell one of their CDs. However, that quickly escalated into a more elaborate affair. Not only will there be choreographed dancing, campy costumes (complete with oversized sunglasses), and two opening bands… but Raj Haldar, a.k.a. Lushlife, South Philly’s most dope producer/DJ/emcee, will be spinning 80’s pop at the booth – not so low-key. Lushlife first blew away the blogosphere in 2009 with his mixtape, Cassette City, which maximized on long lost 90’s boom bap. 2013’s Plateau Vision had the same style of indie old school hip hop, just on a whole lot of psychedelics and to a background of challenging philosophy. Lushlife is sure to set the scene for some serious grooving, and hopefully some of his own mind-altering beats. –North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St., 9pm, $12, 21+ – Emily DiCicco