Here’s Two Songs For Ya is the aptly-named new release from Stephen Freshy Masi. The recordings hit you with their lush, melodic, breezy tones, creating a seamless yet intricate, sonic setting. Earnest whilst vibrantly refined, these songs exude a practiced polish that seems radio/label ready.

Krust Toons: "Our New Logo" 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.

Mannequin Pussy just dropped their third full-length and the band’s first album on Epitaph Records. With Patience, the quartet’s diverse songwriting capabilities are on full display, allowing one to more easily envision the group’s leap from DIY spaces to much larger stages. Their latest LP was produced by Will Yip at Studio 4 in Conshohocken, PA. All digital proceeds from Bandcamp will be donated to The Trevor Project, a non-profit organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth, and if you choose to "name your price," Epitaph will match your amount. Starting in August, Mannequin Pussy are set to go on a month-long, national, headlining tour in support of the new release, and they’ll be closing things out with a welcome home celebration on Thursday, September 19 at the First Unitarian Church, with tourmates Destroy Boys & Ellis.

With tenaciously powerful vocals compounded and accentuated by riff-rampant grooves, Sheer Mag creates a sweaty, smoky, uncompromising brand of rock ‘n’ roll. Fueled by an earnest dynamic that exudes a savvy grit, their songs rally the listeners, building momentum in a fun, uproarious manner. The band will be starting its summer tour this Saturday evening at World Cafe Live, supported by Thin Lips, whose melodic powerpop opens a window into intimate, cathartic narratives. Also along for the ride is slick Louisville rock outfit White Reaper. – Michael Colavita 

Other places where you can enjoy this Summer Solstice weekend…

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) SAT Midnight Singers, Travel Lanes, Joey Sweeney & The Neon Grease

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Ramona/DJ Deejay, SAT Narcos Family Band, The Magnificent Shithawks Of The Greater Northern Americas/Fame Lust, SUN Behind Deadlines, Fuzzy Slippers/Curanderos, Moral Crayfish

Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) FRI Boysetsfire, Restorations, SAT Boysetsfire, Restorations

The Foundry (29 E. Allen St.) SAT Tommy Conwell And The Young Rumblers, Creem Circus, SUN Catie Turner

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) SAT (Upstairs)  DJ Oluwafemi/(Downstairs) Sheer Mag, Thin Lips

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI  Stripped Down & Unplugged Fest: Laura Purfield, Sh’Bang/Voodoo Death Cult, The Heels, Banged Up, SUN Gas Money, House Plant, Thrillchaser/Behind The Horror, The Lima Division, Big Handsome

MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI Camp Candle, SAT Tuck Ryan Band

Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3^rd St.) SAT GROSS, World Below

The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) SUN Rover Rover, Rachel Andie and the Fifth Element, Sleepmonster

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

Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) FRI Live Band Karaoke, SAT Paul Green Adult Program, SUN Rusty Cadillac

Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2^nd St.) FRI Adventure Lost, Andorra, At Best, SAT Dirty Soap, River Bones Band, SUN Kicking Down Doors, John Galla

Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9^th St.) SAT Knightlife

Morgan’s Pier (221 N. Columbus Blvd.) SAT Menace Cartel, SUN New Pony Band

Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI DJ AZN JAKE, SAT DJ Drootrax, SUN A Midsummer Nightmare: A Drag Tribute to Tim Burton

Century (1350 S. 29^th St.) FRI Voltheque, Worst Ones, Pataphor, SAT Pushin’ it 2 the Limit (Tape Release), Code of the Jaguar, Los Gueys

The Tusk (430 South St.) FRI Live Not On Evil, Street Vengeance, The Noid, SAT Shark Bullet, Misfit Holiday

The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI The Funky T, Rachel Andre & the Fifth Element, SAT Mesmeria, Dr. Beardface, Jay Skull In Spades, The Cluster Flies

Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI Electron, Catullus, SUN Ben Arnold, Matt Santry

Molestice (100 Block of N. Mole St.) SAT &More, Ali Awan, Great Time, Camp Candle

The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18^th St.) FRI Yeenar (EP Release), Honeytiger, Droopies

Creep Records (1050 N. Hancock St.) FRI Afloat, Science Club

Warehouse on Watts (923 N. Watts St.) FRI Rob Paine & Francisco Collazo

Haus Of Yarga (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Booklegger, Hyve, Ty Miller & the Miller Lites

Being broke financially is a situation that a majority of fledgling artists can relate to. For Broke Body, life has been taxing in the physical sense as well, so they wanted a band name that would represent their lives right now. However, things haven’t been all that bad for the trio here in Philly of late. After discovering “a really dope, supportive community,” the group just released its first EP, Bleed, via local imprint Good How Are You Records, and claimed victory in our recent Featured Artist(s) Poll. “Exploring themes of dissonance, loss, apathy, and anxiety,” you can give Broke Body’s fiery debut a spin below, and take a gander at our interview with the gang HERE. Tru.

Lil Nas X’s chart-topping success with "Old Town Road" reinvigorated the debate over how one approaches musical genres. Is it about sonic structure, lyrical setting, the overall lifestyle/culture it depicts, etc.? That being said, Joy Again have new single that they’ve titled “Country Song”. The recording melds the warmth of slide and acoustic guitar, with keys and backend, helping yopur mind meander down some backwoods road. The track morphs over the course of time, bring to mind Ween-esque musical terrain, shifting expectations. Is it a "country song"?

Meat Sweats is a new project, featuring members of The Districts and Tate, and the band just dropped its debut single, “Who Shat On The Carpet? (My New Shag Carpet!)”. A buzz of feedback leads into a bristling combination of bass, drums, and guitar. Harkening back to Riot Grrrl days, a loose yet aggressive tone disperses in short order. The vocals capture an assertive self-confidence, reevaluating in the aftermath the dissolving of a relationship.

Slomo Sapiens recently shared the lead single off their forthcoming debut LP Cabin Fever Dreams. “Jeepers Creepers” brings in some grimy, night-sweats instrumentation, to make your skin crawl. Fuzzed-out guitar and a foreboding rhythm section create a bewitching, garage-psych groove. "Nothin’ sweeter than this." 

A Distant Call, the forthcoming album from Sheer Mag, is scheduled to arrive on August 23 via Wilsuns RC. Its lead single, “Blood From a Stone,” just hit the blogosphere, accompanied by a lyric video (which was created by Joslyn Crocco). Frontwoman Christina Halladay maintains composure while expressing frustration over the issues, which seemingly never end. That storyline is delivered with a melodic grit and guitar riffs aplenty that we’ve come to know and love from the Philly garage rockers. Sheer Mag will be kicking off the first leg of their summer tour this Saturday, June 22 at World Cafe Live, with local pals Thin Lips and Louisville’s White Reaper.

Lovestory Of Philadelphia is the debut album from the quartet of Dirty Soap. Exuberant, raw, soulful vocals and bluesy Americana converge in a sound that sticks in your mind, and quickly becomes familiar, especially for admirers of Man Man. The band entrenches themselves in a catchy, quirky manner that rips at opportune times, retaining a barroom aesthetic. You can catch Dirty Soap at Bourbon & Branch this Saturday, June 22, along with River Bones Band and Dirty Mae.

Strange Ranger‘s upcoming album, Remembering The Rockets, is slated to arrive on July 26 via Tiny Engines. With the band’s latest single, “Living Free,” daydreaming contemplation hovers as the ethereal keys mingle with the grounded percussion. Nostalgic yet conflicting, scene-setting lyrics suggest a communicative disconnect. Working through that fractured sense of attachment, the instrumentation collides highlighting the tension in our narrator’s thoughts. The band is currently on tour with labelmates, fellow Philly artists The Spirit of the Beehive.