Take flight aboard the sonic shuttle of Philly psych-rock stalwarts Bardo Pond, whose latest mission Volume 8 was recently released via Fire Records. Unearthing mindful stillness as one’s surroundings spin further out into the ether, there’s a brooding, eye-of-the-storm circumstance. Engulfing heaviness is shot through with moments of beautiful clarity. Bardo Pond will be touching down on Johnny Brenda’s stage on February 16, where they’ll be supported by Honey Radar, Major Stars, and Henry Owings.

Reflectively serenading pleasant memories, The Vernes‘ video for “Summer’s Gone,” directed by Cody Kussoy, captures a behind-the-scenes encapsulation of touring life. Merging elements of traveling, scenery, silliness, performing etc., it’s a playful, mellow daydream temporarily pulling one out of this deep freeze. Warmth is right around the corner, and the band’s second album is in the works.

A plethora of shot & beer pairings continuously flow especially in celebration of the Eagles ascension to the top of the NFL mountain. While you’re sipping in celebration, another City Wide Special recently became available. The Whips‘ new album exhibits that sweaty, dirt-under-the-fingernails, riff-riding infectiousness that we’ve grown to expect. Stewing in time-traveling retro-rock, these songs feel like they were always there. Yopu can catch them at Ortlieb’s on Tuesday, February 13, where they’ll be supported by Madalean Gauze and The Othermen.

Hovering on the threshold of a refreshing, meditative state and the sadness brought on by internal/external crisis, “Summer Rain,” the collaborative single from Gender Work & Murayama, hits complex notes. There’s a sense of destruction, which attaches itself to the intense storm of drums, while the flute, synth, and vocals softly unite in the cleansing opportunity for a fresh start. Gender Work will be performing this evening at Kung Fu Necktie, with Ships In The Night, Overwinter, and Ethan Lipscomb. (Photo by Yassine Boundouq)

Krust Toons: "Welcome to Philadelphia – Home of the Super Bowl Champions E-A-G-L-E-S!" 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.

Keys bring up the lights, initiating “Pretty,” the second single from Family Volleyball’s forthcoming album. Sun-speckled, jangly dream pop follows. A carefree, crisp melody flows wistfully over the listener as an apologetic message is offered. Doom Saloon will be playing host to Family Volleyball on Friday, February 16, along with Wyoming, and Annie Flame. (Drawing by Molly Dwyer)

Philly’s Cold Fronts has been building moment again as the band gets ready to release its sophomore album, Fantasy du Jour, on the beloved stoner holiday 4/20. Below is the group’s latest nugget of slackerdom, called "Staying In," which recently premiered over at Noisey. Frontman Craig Almquist shared a bit of insight about Cold Fronts’ new single. "I felt so refreshed when I wrote this song because it was so simple and it had nothing to do with being sad or being in love or feeling like the world is gonna end. It was just nice to sing about something else for a change. It’s one of our more knucklehead songs." You can find Almquist and the gang at Boot & Saddle tomorrow night, where they will be opening for Chicago’s Post Animal and local pals Suburban Living.

The clarity that often accompanies consuming, clean, cold air hangs in the isolated, fuzzy folk-pop of Matt Scheuermann, a.k.a. Lowercase Roses. His latest release, Surgical Pop, stitches together precise melodies within intimate lyrics. Delicate, revealing storylines are juxtaposed by the harsher instrumental friction of the outside world. Channeling the nostalgia of youth seen through the wisdom of experience, Cherry captures a universal memory, igniting a flashback fuse and (at times) simmering in a gentle sway. Performing solo this Saturday, Mimi Gallagher (Nona, Year Of Glad, Eight) will craft catchy, grungy, pop-punk. With their forthcoming album Reveries (due out February 23 via Egghunt Records), the brutal beauty of Delaware garage rock trio Grace Vonderkuhn rounds out this Everybody Hits lineup. (Photo by Scott Troyan) – Michael Colavita

Other places to be to beat this cold this weekend…

Everybody Hits (529 W. Girard Ave.) SAT Cherry, Grace Vonderkuhn, Eight, Lowercase Roses

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI TJ Kong and The Atomic Bomb, Squawk Brothers, SAT Summer Fiction, The Improbables, MidnightSingers

Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Night Windows, Spelling Reform (EP Release), Joy Riding, Pilkington, SAT RFA, Robo Trippers

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI The Whips/DJ Deejay, SAT Swift River Still, George Engel Brooks/A Black Celebration: DJ Baby Berlin and Jem

PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12^th St.) SAT Coward, Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, Lil Zubin, Fantasy Camp, SUN (3pm) Death Of Lovers

Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) FRI Aime, Besphrenz, Mason, Ai-Que, Dj Dah-Freak, SAT DJ Aktive, JaE The Artist, Tray Verse

Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden St,) FRI Joy Again

The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) SAT Apex Predator

The Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal St.) SAT G. Love & Special Sauce, Kuf Knotz

The Foundry (1000 Frankford Ave.) SAT Fame Lust: My Chemical Slow Dance (Emo Prom)

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI (Upstairs) Conjunto Philadelphia, SAT (Upstairs) The GoAround

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Syberia, Duress, SAT Icon Ebony Fierce, Ronnie Vega, Dialer, DJ Delish

MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI Thee Idea Men, SAT Man About A Horse, The Hoppin’ Boxcars

Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3^rd St.) SAT Ellen Siberian Tiger, Rosu Lup

Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2^nd St.) FRI Breathing, Will Brown and the Jamboree Band, Sexoffice, SAT Bayshore Drive, Scene Points

The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) FRI Femme Collective, SAT Trap Rabbit

Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) Fr DJ Dav, Reed Streets, SAT DJ Deejay

Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SAT Johnny Moskal, SUN Rusty Cadillac

Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9^th St.) FRI Ty Asoudegan, SAT DAMN Benefit Show: Helle’s Belle and the Tit Pistols, Kelvin Cochrane, Fenris, Barry Dwier, Bern the Bastard, Monica Lynne Chase

Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) SAT Tubular

The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Xpresidents, John Gilbride, Naps Past Noon, Fordune, OTG, SAT Socko, Mikey Potatos, This Kills Me

Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) SAT Rausch (Album Release)

First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut St.) SAT Wrong Answer, Agitator

The Tusk (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Teenage Bigfoot, The Barren Marys (Split Release show), The Up Up Ups

Tralfamadore (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Elison  Jackson

Hubris House (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Violet Waves, Fan Dancer, Slow Reader, Midnight In Rome

Very Bad Vibes, a.k.a. Sam Huntington, recently dropped his second album House and Home. Huntington explores personal depths, revealing intriguing, self-conscience awareness. That candid openness, coupled with consistently adventurous, groove-anchored instrumentation, paints a fun/fragile dynamic. Enlisting former Original Crooks and Nannies bandmate Madeline Rafter (Snake Boy Gang) for a little vocal duty, the album zooms in close, but can’t stand still. Very Bad Vibes is slated to appear alongside Coping Skills, Candy Boys, and Julia Rainer on Wednesday, February 21 at Tralfamadore.

Adorned in the simplicity of acoustic guitar, “Company” by Anna Menard kindles a personal fire. The Philly singer-songwriter delivers a heartfelt status update of thanks and appreciation for her newfound love. Voicing a sense of pleasant surprise and hoping that the circumstances linger for the long-term, while acknowledging that it could be fleeting, Menard creates an empathetic point of view, suggesting that we live in the moment.

Johnny Utah’s limited edition self-titled cassette is quintessential listening for fans of bedroom pop, earnest lyricism, and melodies that feel like the soundtrack to your favorite early aughts indie flick.

Available via Slovakian cassette label Z Tapes, the six-song EP opens with “Angst,” which unfolds with melodic licks of guitar and the distant trill of birds. The hushed yet cinematic intro gradually blossoms into a satisfyingly more pronounced and rhythmically memorable ballad that asks a timely question: “Is it time for the world to see?” Heartfelt yet far from coy, “Angst” feels genuine, nostalgic, and fervent. It’s a suitable preface to “Gentle Boy,” which begins with the definition of its namesake, setting the stage for an unabashed and tender anthem that pays homage to vulnerability and emotion, while resulting in a realistic portrait of masculinity. The song ends with a heartwarming voicemail message that gives a vivid glimpse into the would-be biography of man not afraid to give a shit or say, “I love you.” It’s a refreshing meditation on human closeness and self-actualization.

The lullaby-esque start of “Elliot’s Song” echoes the beginning of “Angst” in its earliest moments, before evolving into a catchy confessional about intimacy and an inability to let go of a romance. Reminiscent of the raw truth at the center of bygone LPs by Drug Rug and The Babies, the track transforms its narrator into a believable apologist. It’s difficult to listen to this song without seeing a bit of yourself in it. Rather than mere desperation, “Elliot’s Song” is a sincere proclamation, while “Her Bangs” is a brief yet swoon-worthy offering that hums with yearning. A perfect song to be listened to again and again due to its brevity, “Her Bangs” illustrates Johnny Utah’s lyrical precision and the longevity of being concise. Within the span of barely two minutes, listeners are captivated by the clarity of the track’s narrative and sentiments. “Nvrllyrlly” is an undeniably smooth, pop cut. A testament to the persistence of desire, the urgency of the song is amplified by repetition and the pulsating thumps of a drum machine.

Johnny Utah’s final track, the aptly titled “A Song to End It All,” begins like a trippy, psych-drenched, fever dream in slo-mo, before bursting into a tambourine-filled hymn of sorts. A seamless end to a gratifying cassette, “A Song to End It All” and all that precedes it are well worth listening to on repeat. Each track will feel just as riveting as it did the first time you heard it. – Dianca London

Ahead of its February 9th release date via Carpark Records, Rock Island, the sophomore album from Palm, is now available for streaming, courtesy of NPR’s First Listen. The band playfully experiments with traditional sonic structures, often spinning expectations on their head. Establishing a melodic ease and accessibility and then abruptly shifting gears, that controlled, chaos approach makes one envision some mastermind (i.e. Willy Wonka or the great and wonderful Oz) is calling the shots and pulling the levers behind the curtain. On Monday, March 26, Palm will be seting up shop at First Unitarian Church, supported by The Spirit of The Beehive and Old Maybe.