Having already opened for Smith Westerns, Chairlift, and Surfer Blood, the country and 90s-influenced Grand Rapids (the band, not the city in west Michigan) is doing quite well for a bunch of early 20-somethings. The group formed when childhood friends Dan Lardner and Peter Baumann, both on guitar, moved from New Jersey to the East Village, soon meeting up with the band’s female halves of Alex Niemetz and Clara Balzary, bass and drums, respectively. The quartet released a self-titled EP in 2011, combining Stephen Malkmus vocal hooks with garage rock guitars. The group has 3 upcoming shows in NYC, (see here), we recommend the show at Mercury Lounge on June 24 with NYC punk rockers Dirty Fences.
