Chris is the forthcoming full-length debut from Big Nothing, and is slated to arrive on May 10 via Salinas Records. The quartet recently shared its lead single “Real Name”. There is a catchy vulnerability in the songs emotive earnestness as a sense of isolation and not being seen for what you really are unfolds. You can catch the band, alongside Cherry and Swanning, at Radiator Hospital’s record release show on Tuesday, May 21 at PhilaMOCA. (Photo by Jared Castaldi)

Wyatt Flynn recently shared a new EP Moving Day. An open-book, folk honesty shines through as Flynn tries to find footing in a world that is continuously in flux. Exploring one’s identity and how and where one fits in the grand scheme are not easy tasks. We all have a voice that needs to be heard and supported by others.

“Eden Vision,” the new single from Pleasure Systems, invites from an ascending, ethereal point of entry. The rhythm gradually awakens, ushering the narrator out of bed. Coming to grips with one’s reality in a forthright manner, there’s a nostalgia for the past as one experiences the aftermath of grief. The weight of those moments often is self-contained as the exterior world breezes by.

Hardcore quartet BLUEPRINT recently dropped its debut EP The Asterisk Era. Bristling with intensity, snarly vocals are compounded by a relentless, instrumental aggression. Unflinching conviction stares you in the face, as pummeling, noise-fueled sonics tumultuously march forward. You can catch the band at Super Wimpy HQ on Saturday, May 18, with Controller, Instinct?, and Enforced.

Aidan Peterson, a.k.a. Instupendo, recently shared a new single “Cinderella,” featured on the forthcoming EP Boys by Girls (due out on June 5). Establishing an elegant atmosphere of contemplation, the first person narrative swims in a placid, confessional composition. However, while the song appears to come from the point of view of a hesitant admirer, protective instincts are also voiced/revealed. Hovering between a daydreaming ideal and the hope that it translates into a reality, one waits to see how the story plays out.

Krust Toons: "I Used to Be in a Band…" 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.

Mike Whalen, a.k.a. Mike Space, recently shared a new album Mike Gets Dark, which also features contributions from Justin Roth (Soft Idiot). There’s a delicate, finding-comfort-in-loneliness aspect to the recordings. Balancing bleakness with hopeful bright glimpses, these songs blend catchiness with an ear toward experimentation. "It’s an album about the means by which we seclude ourselves, and how those same means can bring us back together with the people we love."

This Saturday night, Dark Web is set to headline Kung Fu Necktie. Barreling ahead in guitar-ripping, backend-blitzing fashion, the post-punk outfit captures an infectious, rough-around-the-edges, raw energy. Shedding the weight of despair, relief is temporarily achieved, transforming into full-steam-ahead shredders. Encircled by an imminent sense of instrumental danger, while maintaining cool, composed vocals, Kentucky’s Tropical Trash has the feel of control amid impending chaos. And you’ll find the sonic stylings of locals Storks (featuring former members of Clockcleaner, Strapping Fieldhands, Watery Love, Fully Glazed, and Louie Louie) kicking the evening into gear. – Michael Colavita 

Other places where you can get weird this weekend…

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Fame Lust, SAT Dark Web, Storks, SUN Everywhen, Brackish

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI The Original Sins, St. James & The Apostles, St. John’s Alliance, SAT DJ Emynd, Bo Bliz: It’s The Year 2004

Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Chris Kasper, SAT School Of Rock Philly presents: Arctic Monkeys vs. The Strokes/School Of Rock Philly presents: A Tribute to U2/Evan Wize

Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) SAT Wunder ft. The Dead Milkmen Black Landlord, Mt. Vengeance, The Spirit World

The Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal St.) SAT Baroness, SUN Rosetta, Heavy Temple, Outer Heaven

The Foundry (1000 Frankford Ave.) FRI Devil Master, SAT Function: 1-800 HAPPY HR

Franklin Music Hall (421 N. 7^th St.) FRI Shmittee

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) SAT Minas presents:La Giara-The Water Jug by Patricia King Haddad

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Anthrophobia, Live Not On Evil, Sheena & Thee Nosebleeds, The Damn Dirty Apes, SAT Aberrant Light

Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3^rd St.) FRI The Valets, Uncle Dan, SAT The Stammer, Arch of Love, SUN Kill Verona, Breaking Pangaea, Crossed Keys, Gennero, Savage Dads

The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) FRI Joshua Howard, Homestead Collective / Somebody Else’s Sky, Superunknown

Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SAT Rachel Andie & The V Element, SUN Rusty Cadillac 

Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2^nd St.) FRI Taylor Kelly (Single Release), Sophie Coran, SAT Davey and the Chains, SUN Knightlife, Kissing The Klepto, Egocentric Plastic Men, Through Neighborhoods

Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9^th St.) FRI Axe Limbert, Timmy Jones, SAT Endless Taile, Gibbous Moon, Canine 10, SUN Acoustic Fest: Tim From Oz, Fonvery, Michael J.Vitale, Vassal, Niqu, Marcelyn

Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI Royale, SAT Ian St. Laurent, SUN Comic Strips: A Marvel & DC Burlesque

Voltage Lounge (421 N. 7^th St.) SAT Sad & Boujee

Century (1350 S 29th St.) FRI LUNCH, Prob No

The Tusk (430 South St.) FRI Cthulhu Martini, Altamont Surf Party, Bats in the Wall, Girl Science, SAT Boss Hydro, Outlaw Pandas, Pink Angels,Chino

The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Sun Choke, Leo Moon, St. Brendan, The Sixth Year, SAT Ryan Corcoran, Cookie Rabinowitz, Tyler Sensenig

Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI The Whiskeyhickon Boys, The Sermon, SAT Peace Drums Project fundraiser: Trevor Street Band, Philadelphia Pan Stars Steel Orchestra, SUN Derrick Hodge, Killiam Shakespeare

The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18^th St.) FRI SR Frost, Joshua Chase Miller, Lia Menaker, My Familiar / Blueroom, Greg Mendez, SAT Destroying Angel

Vox Populi (319 N 11^th St., 3^rd Floor) SAT Good Morning, Daydreamer (Record Release), Tapes & Tubes, Black Melanite 

Jerry’s on Front (2341 N. Front St.) SAT Loren Connors & Chris Forsyth

Creep Records (1050 N. Hancock St.) SUN Familiar Things, Andross

No Face Studios (5213 Grays Avenue) FRI Jesse Gimbel

Warehouse on Watts (923 N. Watts St.) FRI DJ Matpat, Osagie, SAT Professor Bangarang Presents: Molecular Danceology

First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut St.) SAT Breaking Pangaea, Kill Verona, Crossed Keys, Sad Actor

The Music Ward (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Catullus, Solar Circuit, SAT Darla, House Plant, SUN Elaine Rasnake (Live EP Recording), Gender Work

The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St.) SAT Strange Parts, Upholstery 

Gay Baby Jail (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Mavis the Dog, Boon

Hushed vocals whisper through the gentle, gliding tempo of “Above,” the debut single from Makeup Tutorial. That fragile, intimate foundation is contrasted by the overriding threat of fuzz that lingers on the periphery. A hypnotic, noisy gust kicks up as the track shifts from an unassuming to all consuming auditory experience. It’s a promising introduction to the fledgling, lo-fi project.

Struggleman: The Struggle Continues is the second official full-length album from QThree, out now via his local imprint Baked Recordings. The LP finds a silky smooth, laid-back yet grimy aesthetic that hearkens to 90’s hip hop. A sneaky, soulful, drama-laced intensity captures an unwavering confidence, while acknowledging trials & tribulations. The Philly emcee threads the lyrical needle, sewing together knowledgeable life lessons.

The trio of your most defiant neighbors in Apt A recently shared its second release, Apt B. Voicing an internalized monologue, the songs serve as an earnest, snarky look into the band’s daily observations. Speaking into a noisy and, at times, chaotic void, the recordings have a bluntness that hits the mark in humorous fashion. You definitely don’t want to fuck with Apt A. Or do you?

Slick, far-reaching guitar lines, reinforced by splatterings of drums, create a sense of tension in motion on “Urgent Need to Leave,” courtesy of Philly four-piece Lightninging. The warmth of vocal harmony is countered by the sadness of a desire to depart. A controlled, combative, instrumental outpouring serves as scene-setting, mood-mimicking transitions. Channeling those feelings into fiery, doubled up, guitar bursts, the heaviness of the moment plays out in a melancholy manner.