Krust Toons: "Assume" by Tedd 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 and animation shorts HERE.

After teasing us with a few lo-fi demo cassettes, containing songs featured on their new studio release, Dark Thoughts‘s sophomore album, At Work, is now available via Stupid Bag Records/Drunken Sailor Records. The band continues to build on their catalogue of Ramones-inspired pop-punk that has carried their tunes from the DIY spaces of Philly to a wider national/international audience. The punk trio is scheduled to head out on the road next month, and will be coming home to a gig at Boot & Saddle, opening for Iron Chic. You can stream and download At Work below.

Empath allow their freak flag to fly with some freeform dancing under misty lights in the new video for their latest single, "Polyfoam". The track is featured on the band’s upcoming 7-inch, Environments, due out July 23 via Get Better Records. The release is inspired by a series of Irv Teibel field recordings from the 60s/70s. It’s the follow-up to the group’s breakout EP Liberating Guilt And Fear, which they are currently on tour in support of. Right now, Empath’s next scheduled Philly performance is set for Wednesday, October 10 at the First Unitarian Church, where they’ll be opening for Swearin’. (Photo by Hillary Jones)

Subdued, coarse-around-the-edges, melodic strolls statically sticking in one’s head, there’s a reverberating simplicity in the music of Permanent Body. It comforts in catchy, personal monologues that stretch and escalates into heavier, heady destinations. Tonight, at the First Unitarian Church, they’ll be joined by the raw release of emotion that erupts in fierce, aggressive, contagious catharsis, otherwise known as Mannequin Pussy. Brutal, chaotic noise expressively spills out in sugary pop-inflected glory. On the billing, you will also find the uproarious, stirring intensity of Chicago’s Slow Mass and the surging, reunited fuzz of Ovlov, who will be closing out the proceedings, with their new album Tru (Expoding In Sound) on the horizon. (Mannequin Pussy Photo by David Brandon Geeting) – Michael Colavita 

Other places where you can purge this weekend…

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N Frankford Ave.) FRI Ill Doots, SAT Carroll

Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI FRI Bel Heir, SAT Former Belle

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Something Like A Monument, Big Stall/I Am Not The Universe/DJ Deejay, SAT Timeshares/DJ Matthew Law, Mr. Sonny James 

Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) SAT Dean and Company

Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden St.) SAT Queen of Jeans

The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) DJ RL

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI John Vettese/Tulpa, SAT The Jayplayers, Jason McGovern and the Describers, Matthew Rinee

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Forever Vista, Brick Nova, The Cluster Flies, SAT Mauled By A Bear, Misfit Holiday, Ämnivór, Broke Body, Midlife Crisis, SUN Menace of the Canvas, 4th QTR, Frogg

MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) SAT Riverside Odds

Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3^rd St.) FRI Lenina Crowne, Water Temple, SAT St. James and The Apostles, RunHideFight, SUN Whalewolf, Whackbat

The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) FRI Behind Deadlines, SAT Instant Smile, Jukebox Zeros/Tigerbeats

Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2^nd St.) FRI Kyle Sparkman, Emily Drinker 

Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI Bo Bliz, DJ Lean Wit It, SAT DJ Deejay

Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SUN Rusty Cadillac

Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9^th St.) SAT The Blessed Muthas, The Action Party

Voltage Lounge (421 N. 7th St.) FRI DJ Mighty Mike Saga, Elijvh Vrms

Morgan’s Pier (221 N. Columbus Blvd.) FRI DJ Beatstreet, SAT Lean Wit It, SUN Michael Thompson

The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Saint Wilde, Tough Guy Soda, Ruffy Tuffy & The Big Brutes, Frog, SAT Rollin Loaded, Apple Juice Jones

Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI Darla, SAT  Chill Moody, Mic Stew, Voss

The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18^th St.) FRI Cellar Fox, Mesen Around  / Port Arthur, The Stammer, SAT A Day Without Love

First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut St.) FRI Mannequin Pussy, Permanent Body

The Sound Hole (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Taiwan Housing Project, SUN Sammus

Messina Club (1533 S. 10th St.) FRI Bella Reed Pitbull Rescue Benefit: Roger Harvey, Augusta Koch, Bobby Barnett, Ben Pierce, Dan Zimmerman

The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St.) FRI Shimmer, Eel Tank, Body Meat, Deep Couch

Clark Park (4300 Baltimore Ave.) SAT Clark Park Music and Arts Festival: Grandchildren, TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb, EDO, Gleasons Drift, Chocolate Mess, The KMX Band, The PLIBmen, The Towering Pine, Unidos da Filadelfia Samba School, Bosom Band

Lizard Lounge 215 (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Chloe Likes Olivia, Sandboxing, The Retinas, Americanadian, Tessellations

All Nite Diner (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Shannen Moser, Punk Hands

Recorded and mixed by Jeff Zeigler at Uniform Recording, Down There, the new EP from False Tracks, recently surfaced. Joy and agitation converge. Weaving in and out of tempos, while curating a range of intensity that never loses its personal edge, the songs leave their mark quickly. It tears through the dimly lit streets of Philly in a sneaky, smooth way.

“Let It Ring,” the debut single from the trio of Pritty Gritty., was recorded at Miner Street Recording, and co-produced by Julia Rainer and Jackie Milestone, as a collaboration between Weathervane Music and Girls Rock Philly. Interlacing vocal harmonies and the gentle, unwinding instrumentation cultivate a reflection inward. The song has a youthful twee-pop sound, but the message can be applied universally. Prioritizing one’s self-interest over the needs of others is a tough balancing act, but recalibrating every once in a while is a necessary exercise.

Jonny Clousson, of North Carolina’s Almost People, recently shared a pair of tracks. The Two Cents EP gradually builds melodically in an uphill climb. A conversational, stream-of-consciousness lyricism opens an avenue into the emotive, internal monologue. Casual, contagious energy and sing-along-inspiring hooks make you want to stay there. Instead of getting caught up in the past or the future, slow it down, listen, and enjoy the moment.

Nuna & the Wayward Spirit are releasing a new single on the first of every month, accumulating to the RISE.LIKE.RAIN EP. “this.is.water.” serves as the first installment. Keys create an awaking atmosphere before the burst of instrumentation breaks through. Steadily matriculating in controlled steps, the track searches for solutions amid the balancing act of life. Remaining calm in the face of change, there’s a controlled, contemplative essence, as the internal evolution threatens to tear you apart. (Photo by Frank Lettieri Jr.)

The Tibetan Buddhist believe that “’tulpa’ is a concept in mysticism and the paranormal of a being or object which is created through spiritual or mental powers.” Philly indie rockers, who bare the same name, just think that “it sounds cool.” And judging by the three-piece’s love for the single, “We Did It Again,” from 2003’s Biker Boyz soundtrack, which features the unholy union of Metallica, Ja Rule, and Swizz Beats, and their respect for artists like Palm, Vunderbar, and Mile High Club, we think that it would be fun to grab a few beers and pick their brains about music. You’ll have the opportunity to do so this Friday, July 15 at World Café Live, where Tulpa will be performing at the venue’s fledgling Spotlight Artist Series, alongside Brooklynites Goodfight. But first, you can learn a little more about The Deli Philly’s recent Featured Artist(s) Poll Winners HERE.

As we wait his debut album, Kevin Connor, a.k.a. The Trust Find Kids, just dropped a new video for his new single, “Mercy Me”. Delivered via the nostalgic VHS medium, the footage peppers in points of pop culture, while also providing a playful look into the creative process. The song, which was mixed at Sleepless Sound and mastered by Ian Farmer (formerly of Modern Baseball) at The Metal Shop, captures that bouncy, youthful angst reminiscent of Weezer, whose t-shirt is conveniently adorned. The telepathic communication between Connor and his cat is a humorous scene, with whom many a pet owner can identify with.

Thin Lips just announced that their new full-length album, Chosen Family, is scheduled for release on July 27 via Lame-O Records. Its first single, “A Song For Those Who Miss You All The Time,” channels the grief from the death of Chrissy and Mikey Tashijan’s younger brother. A conversational recollection is encountered via a dream. Addressing numerous, lingering, unanswered questions, the pain of personal loss remains. There’s a comfort in the smoothness of the emotive vocals and the crisp guitar licks. As we move forward, we still carry the memory of those we love with us. Before heading out on tour with good pals Hop Along, Thin Lips are slated to open for Japandroids on Tuesday, July 24 at Boot & Saddle.

Oh God, What A Beautiful Time I Spent In The Wild, the debut LP from the pairing of Attia Taylor & Corey Duncan, a.k.a. Strange Parts, was recently released via Specious Arts. Produced by Jeff Zeigler, the album offers an interplay between the soothing, silky vocals that vaporize in an intriguing psych-pop symmetry and the honed but heavy, upfront position of the rolling groove. A whimsical sweetness ventures and melds with eccentricities, creating an imaginative realism. One slips into the fantasy setting, but can also relate on a grounded, personal level.