Released via Near Mint, Some Nerve, the new LP from the quartet of Broken Beak, openly exposes fragility while gathering a strength via universal momentum. Beau Brynes’s assertive vocals play into the energetic ebb and flow of instrumentation, drawing in and then rushing outward as Brendan Lukens (Modern Baseball), Evan Moorehead (Weller), and Jeff Malt refine the sonic shape. Co-produced by Jake Ewald (Modern Baseball), give the album a spin, and then catch the band tomorrow at The Pharmacy with Pretty Words, Spur, Horse Jumper of Love, and The Island of Misfit Toys.

Sleek, sinister, strolling sounds are injected as UK producer Maps provides a personal stamp, remixing electro-pop duo Vita and the Woolf’s “Brett”. Jen Pague’s soulfully powerful vocals echo, gaining a percussive uptick, ushering movement as a new space emerges. We’ll keep our eyes and ears alert as more info for their album TUNNELS (due out later this year) surfaces. (Photo by Phobymo)

The Guests continue to help foster the darkwave/new-wave scene that is on the rise in the Philly music community. The band is made up of Sheer Mag‘s Kyle and Hart Seely, Christian Vogan, Florence Lin, and Alkiviades Meimaris. Check out their latest four-song EP Red Scare ’16 below! It was produced by Ronnie Stone at Fishkill Correctional Facility in Pine Bush, NY earlier this year.

Krust Toons: "Hive Mind" by Teddy 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.

Philly hip-hop artist King Shampz recently dropped a new single called "Autobahn," which was released on his indie label Dead Wrong Records. It was inspired by his love for fast whips and former Croation pro baller Drazen Petrovic, who died in a car accident on the Autobahn in 1993. You can take the track for spin below, but be careful. 😉

After release a few enticing singles, Camp Candle, the duo of Hetepsa and Nu Ra, has released its first mixtape, which you can now stream and download for free. You can take a listen to ERE, which is an Old English word that mean "before (in time)," representing the beginning of the group’s beginning (below). Camp Candle will also be performing for free on Thursday, July 14 at Spruce Street Harbor.

A graceful union of keys and percussion and sweet bursts of saxophone mold Dream Safari’s latest release Cobalt. The EP captures a stress-evaporating, nocturnal-strolling tone as the sun begins to fade; the moon emerges, and a refreshing breeze washes over you. It’s relaxed while still building dance-generating sensations. You can catch Dream Safari on Friday, July 8 at Bourbon & Branch with Power Animal, The Undercover Dream Lovers, and a DJ Set from Suburban Living.

"We live for jokes." You can get that sense when listening to the self-described "moderately gay post-ironic bummer pop" tunes of Coping Skills. The duo of Rachel Dispenza and Lauren DeLucca, through their music, seem to cope admirably with the complexities of being millennials in these modern times. Their witty observations make for fun, anthemic lines to sing-along to. The "cool" gals will be opening for Philly’s Doubles and Fake Boyfriend as well as New York’s Ankle Grease and Wilkes-Barre’s Hymn at Creep Records tonight. Creep Records, 1050 N. Hancock St. #76, 7pm, $5 All Ages (Photo by Abi Reimold) – H.M. Kauffman

Catherine Dwyer, also known as the guitarist for the alt-rock outfit Sports, offers fans the perfect soundtrack for summer feelings with the release of her solo EP Please Relax. Recorded under the moniker Spring Onion, her new album is DIY at its best. Mostly written and recorded within the walls of her Philadelphia home, Please Relax is an intimate portrait of yearning, infused with dream-pop nostalgia, heartfelt riffs, and candid poetics.

“Egg (Driving Song),” the EP’s opener, unfolds with an Aimee Mann-meets-Girlpool earnestness. Telling the story of a commute clouded by desire, the song is a catchy confessional, with lines like “I’m sorry for what I said and didn’t say” and “I’ll write songs about my flaws/cause that’s a way to self absolve.” The lo-fi grit of Dwyer’s anthem instantly tugs at the heartstrings, transforming even the most jaded listener into a hopeful romantic with each iteration of its fuzzed-out beats.

That sentiment is extended on "Chili". Twangy chords are quickly followed by Dwyer’s straightforward but evocative vocals, bringing to mind Built To Spill’s “Carry the Zero” and B-sides by indie darlings like The Babies. The track, although laidback, is unflinchingly sincere, the steady build of its instrumentation, urging its audience to actively listen and exist in the moment. The hissing snare and piano of “Poem 3 (Piano)” cast a similar spell, making each reprise of “but I don’t live alone” a testament to the millennial plight of finding solace in a shared space, while the EP’s title track and atmospheric closer serves as a suitably melodic mantra to calm the anxieties and emotional side effects of living.

Despite its brevity, the openness of Please Relax is astonishingly raw and brave. Listening to her songs will remind you that you’re not alone. – Dianca London

The quartet of Sonny Knockout’s debut EP will arrive later this year via Hidden Gem Records. Until then, those looking to hop on board the band’s backend-bumping brand of enthusiastic rock should head on over to Boot & Saddle this evening. Jumping into weekend mode, Sonny Knockout pulls no punches, creating upbeat grooves, sweeping listeners into a refreshing summer current, while serving as a catalyst to their sing-along sound. Tonight, they’ll be joined by the attitude-drenched, rumble-shaking, power-pop of The Up! Up! Ups! and raw, infectious rock of San Diego’s The Soaks. Boot & Saddle, 1131 S. Broad St., 8:30pm, $8, 21+ – Michael Colavita

Below is a new music video from Free Cake For Every Creature for the track "All You Gotta Be When You’re 23 Is Yourself," which was directed by Allysa Yohana. It stars the band subdudely performing at a bday party. You can find the single on their latest album Talking Quietly Of Anything With You, which is out now via Double Double Whammy. Free Cake For Every Creature will be hitting the road this September with Diet Cig.