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The Big Pink — “Future This”

The Big Pink infuses elements of ’80s Brit-punk, electronica and moving beats to capture an energetic sound.

There is less emphasis put on individual elements and far more put on collective song writing skills, which makes for incredibly catchy pop tunes.

Howler — “America Give Up”

Fans of the working-class roughness that bands like The Gas Light Anthem provide will really dig Howler’s sound.

The music isn’t particular flashy, nor is the recording particularly well done — but the sound is genuine.

The vocal work is fuzzy and out of pitch, consisting of mostly strained and hoarse shouts. With that being said, the vocals are really what make the band stand out.

The Submarines — “The Shoelaces EP”

The title track on “The Shoelaces EP” is outrageously catchy, incredibly well-crafted and really childish — in a good way. The Submarines employ the conflicting vocals of Blake Hazard and John Dragonetti, that creates a sort of juvenile freedom in their music.

Synthesizers, bouncy piano parts and a little guitar work dominate most of the tracks, making it a near perfect album that wouldn’t sound out of place at a Chuck E. Cheese.

Bleeding Heart Narrative — “Bison EP”

Bleeding Heart Narrative’s “Bison EP” is slow and thoughtful with huge swirling melodic horns and short guitar hooks permeating throughout.

The lyrics are sparse; but don’t fret, most of the emphasis is on the variety of instruments, sounds and arrangements.

Think of the album as a finger painting, in the sense that what it lacks in details, it makes up for with interesting flaws.

Diagrams — “Black Light”

For mellow listeners, “Black Lights” presents an easy listen for musicians and coffee shop enthusiasts alike. A few tracks drop smooth beats worthy of shaking your hips, too, but largely the album is a fun listen for the ears.

Occasionally, the album loses itself in experimental whimsy, but Diagrams quickly redeem themselves with relatable melodies composed of everything from trumpets, tambourines, string quartets and small vocal ensembles.

Strange Vacation — “Chasm”

After one listen, my only thought was: “This is Blink, but way better.” For Blink-182 purists, hear me out; “Chasm” is awesome.
There are definite punk overtones, but the album is a less abrasive than a typical Blink-182 album.

What’s immediately striking about Strange Vacation is their dueling vocals harmonies. The band write great pop songs, and make them sound entirely unique.