I’ve been listening to Hypercolor’s second EP Resonate a lot since it was released. I was led to it while covering (DC Deli Band of the Month for April) Avers. Hypercolor is the project of Avers’ bass player Alexandra, and Adrian, one of the (many) guitar players. It shares Avers’ technical proficiency, both with the instruments, and in the studio, and the sound is reminiscent to Avers in a psychedelic/shoegazey kind of way. I think where Avers is “rock,” one would call Hypercolor “folk.”

Perhaps psych-folk? I dunno. It’s pretty, and soft, kinda chill, but purely, almost aggressively, analog, with soaring, screeching guitar riffs lifting above clouds of background harmonies, chiming and buzzing layers of rhythm guitar, fuzzy bass and occasionally thunderous drums accented tastefully with reverb. Alexandra’s voice is sweet and comforting. Hypercolor is a good name for the band; the sound is vibrant. The definition of resonate is “produce or fill with a deep, full, reverberating sound.” No false advertising here. This EP is a refreshing thunderstorm passing by too quickly under a hot summer sunset. I think it’s gonna be a favorite of mine all summer, and I can’t wait for what’s next. –Natan Press 

We’re proud to announce our first Baltimore showcase! Baltimore friends (and all others!), Gallery 788 is hosting a special night of music on Wednesday, May 14th. Baltimore’s new favorite "ArtRockers," Playground Etiquette, are planning a special set up to match the space. Joining them will be Trabants, an intrumental surf-rock band from LA/Boston, fronted by Baltimore native Eric Penna, touring on their way to Instro Summit in North Carolina. It’s been a long time since he’s played in the city, and we want to throw him the best homecoming party we can. Rounding out the night is Baltimore guitar-pop and country-rock songsmith extraordinaire Andy Bopp! The diverse lineup of dedicated and talented musicians will be sure to delight and entertain rock fans of all tastes and ages. We’re very thankful to Gallery 788 and all the performers for making this a great beggining to what will be a series of many similar showcases in the DMV, giving local artists the attention they deserve, and celebrating all that is great in art and music in the area. Doors at 8, All Ages, $10. Don’t miss it! –Natan Press

Baltimore’s Sun Club might be the next big thing to come out of a city that’s produced a number of recent indie favorites like Future Islands and Wye Oak. After releasing Dad Claps at the Mom Prom in January, they went on a six week national tour and have scored a slot on Silopanna Music Festival, in Annapolis MD, August 16th (headlined by The Flaming Lips and Dashboard Confessional). Dad Claps at the Mom Prom is full of bouncy indie-rock fun and is sure to be a summer favorite for many. Just last Thursday, a video for the single "Cheeba Swiftkick" premiered on Impose Magazine (watch it below). Listening to Dad Claps at the Mom Prom, I imagine running willy nilly around a fair or the beach or boardwalk during the summer, and Impose describes the music and video as "sugar-buzzed" and "wacky" which is just the state of mind I find myself in at such places. If you can’t wait for their set at Silopanna Music Festival, you can catch Sun Club at the Maryland Institute College of Art this Friday May 2nd, in Baltimore. –Natan Press

Instrumental-based single “Sonder” is fresh off the soundboard. Castle of Genre, from Gainesville, VA, released their single April 15, 2014, and it lives up to its name. The word “sonder” is used to explain the realization that every person you meet has had a life just as full as yours; each individual has faced hardship, love, disappointment, angst and their own intricate life experiences. In the song, fast-paced guitar begins a round, drawing each chord out into the next. Next, playful guitar melody is added, creating a round of its own. After understanding what “sonder” really means, the pairing is brilliant. The representation of separate lives carrying on, day after day, creating something beautiful as life ( or drumming) clashes and ticks on. Lyrically, “Sonder” is just as clever as the instrumentation. –Hannah Brady

DC’s Young Rapids is preparing to release their hotly anticipated new album, Pretty Ugly, this spring (so, like, any day now, right?). You can get a sneak peak at some of the new songs when the band plays live, this Saturday, April 26th, at Comet Ping Pong. They join a very special evening at the club, as the Cultural Service Office of The French Embassy is presenting French electro psych duo Zombie Zombie (so, instead of robots they’re Zombies?? ahhhhhhh!—or not; we’ll have to go to find out).

Opening the night will be the vicious riffs, the funky grooves, the burning lasers of Heavy Breathing. To top it all off, DJ Name Names (aka Ian Svenonius) will be spinning tunes betwixt the bands. I think Heavy Breathing’s (NSFW) video for "U the One I Want" sums up the night as well as anything (‘cause it’s awesome!). Watch it below and go to the show (for which advance tickets are available). –Natan Press

Richmond’s Black Girls struck a chord with me on their newest album, Claire Sinclaire. I used to deliver a lecture/drunken musing to whoever would listen on what would make for the best sort of album. "Basically, a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack should be the goal," I would say. It’s the way he puts such diverse styles of music together and yet it seems obvious they would be on the same release, and the way each track is both interesting in and of itself and a singular representation of a genre.

I have a special place in my heart for the chameleon bands, the ones that switch from sound to sound, from style to style succesfully, without missing a beat or a note, like they’re 10 different practiced and proficient bands joined together on a mix tape. Claire Sinclaire is an excellent example of this ideal. The album goes from disco dance-jam to revivalist indie-rock fuzz-fest to twee psychadelic surf ballad so smoothly, without a single weak attempt, that at first I didn’t realize I was listening to exactly what I wanted to listen to for years.

I was all rock-writery, trying to figure out what they were. My bad. Happily, they won our Band of the Month Poll in March, and I finally got around to doing a short interview. I’m even happier to tell you that they will be playing The DC Deli’s first All DMV Night at the Rock and Roll Hotel on Saturday, May 24th (alongside Bearshark, Alex Vans and the Hide Away, and Andy Bopp).  –Natan Press

Some sad news today: The Dunes might be closing. I’m pretty frustrated about it, but I think it’s best to celebrate all the things the folks at The Dunes have done for music in this town and help them continue their effort in future endeavors. DC music has seen a resurgence lately; the community has grown and become more of a scene in no small part due to places like The Dunes and the people who work there, and that won’t end with a small setback like this. I strongly encourage everyone to go to what may be the final show at The Dunes tomorrow, April 23rd, when DC bands Pree and The Sea Life, join Native America (from New Orleans), and give a great space a great send-off. –Natan Press
Edit: Please read Alex Tebeleff’s piece about The Dunes and the need for more space for music in DC, over at Brightest Young Things.

Richmond’s Avers won our Band of the Month Poll for the first half of April, and it’s no surprise. Their debut album, Empty Light will be officially released on April 22nd (this Tuesday!), and it’s a fantastic kaleidoscope of sound, light and psychedelia. The lead single, title track "Empty Light," is a gorgeous summer morning (something we’ve all been waiting for for far too long), and Avers’ rocking live shows, skillfully played electric guitars, tasteful pedal-work, and pounding drums, have amped a growing fan base that’s become impatient to take home a piece of the band. They’re everything you want out of hard-rocking and hard working indie-rock. I spoke with Adrian Olsen about the band’s formation, the Richmond scene, and the future, and you can read the interview here.

Avers is going on a short tour in support of the release, starting with a show on Wednesday, April 23rd, at the Black Cat backstage (with The Jackfields and The Beanstalk Library). 

American Television recently released the first song off of their Sorry Sara EP, titled ‘Sorry Sara’. ‘Sorry Sara’ opens with a resonating guitar chord laying calmly below complementing fast-paced chord progressions. The lyrics figuratively scream "zero fucks given". Lead vocalist Steve Rovery is simultaneously apologizing to Sara for keeping her awake as shit hits the fan, and apologizing for the less exciting nights which presumably allows her to slip into the internal hell that a quiet night can bring. You can catch them celebrating(?) Easter on April 19th at Mackey’s American Pub in Manassas. –Hannah Brady

Complete with entertaining, repetitive lyrics and a banjo, The Boundary Stones are truly strange, and I love it. Writing an explanation for the lyrics in their self-titled album is impossible; “jellyfish in a black hole” is repeated 12 times in under two and a half minutes in their appropriately titled song, Jellyfish In A Black Hole. Weird kid folk is officially a thing, and The Boundary Stones made it happen. Their album is available on Bandcamp and you can see them live at The Lab‘s Fest Too on June 26. –Hannah Brady

It’s probably the most anticipated release in DC in 2014. At least it’s the release I’ve been anticipating with the most impatience. BRNDA has, until now, only given us a few hints of how fun and interesting they are, a short glimpse of how delightful their sound is. The few tracks released earlier this year sounded strange and familiar, jarring and accessible. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Fred Schneider singing anti-folk songs with Sebadoh! No. It’s BRNDA. And now, finally, they have released their debut album, brenda. Do you see what they did there? If you aren’t at the record release show, like, right now (at Rock and Roll Hotel with The Sea Life and The Walking Sticks) to pick up the album, they’ll be back soon with more after a short tour (that I can’t find exact details about at this point, but their website suggests I’m not lying, and it includes an instore performance at Crooked Beat Records, with Mobius Strip, on April 15th). Enjoy. –Natan Press

I Hate Everyone is officially the perfect song to hate everyone to. Think of The Descendants with female vocals, and you’ve got Canker Blossom. Baltimore-based pop-punk band Canker Blossom brings the punk back into “pop-punk” scene. Strong female vocals run the band’s new album, Gooner, smashing their way over the fast-paced guitar riffs that punks worldwide have always loved. –Hannah Brady