Sockhop Massacre - "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" (self-released) I guess this is a debut single? Sockhop Massacre have built a reputation in their short lifetime as an off-the-walls live band. Their first official single "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" transfers that chaos from the stage to a streaming service near you. Good recording adds a ton, creating a dimension of immediacy that sets the track apart from any of their demos  (which are still worth checking out — the Parquet Courts cover is especially sick). Imagine a concoction that mixes the rhythm sections of post-punk, some surf-rock-esque guitars, and lo-fi vocals. Got it? You probably came up with something similar to "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques." The band comes across like they're on a mission from God and if they falter for ever a moment, everything will fall to pieces. It's a seamless combination of danceability and noise. Listen to "Enhanced Interroga...

(Cover art by Alexis Politz) The Personas - Perspective  EP (self-released) Rock's not dead! It never really died, but I needed some click-baity way to introduce this segment. The things we do for journalistic integrity. In a word, Perspective  is effortless. The debut EP from the Personas floats on by without any external momentum. I imagine there's a tiny engine, chugging along, powering the band as they produce song-after-song of classic power pop, but from the listener's perspective (ha), Perspective  was recorded this morning and put out without a whim. Usually such ease is a façade, masking extremely deliberate songcraft. The seams are invisible, but every riff, melody, bassline, or solo was stitched together. From the fuzzed-out bass riff that kicks off "Audience of No One" to the fierce solo in "Waiting My Life Away," the Personas go all out in making maximum-satisfaction rock songs. Ironically, this write-up is going up on the sa...

Funk punks Little Lizard is back with their second single "Star Child" from their forthcoming record earthlings . Never ones to do the same thing twice, multi-instrumentalists Lizz D. and Shea Daniel are always pushing what they can do as an instrumental duo. "Star Child" features spacy trombone and trumpet sonic explorations over bombastic 808 beats that teeter between transcendence and crashing back down to earth with each traded solo. Star Child by Little Lizard The duo is hitting the road for a nine-date tour in support of the "Star Child" and the forthcoming earthlings.  Little Lizard will be kicking things off at the Kitty Cat Klub on Tuesday, September 10 along with Fitness , Hadiza , and Pure Shifter . The gig is free, but you must be 21 and older to attend.  You can listen to "Star Child" above and check out dates for their tour below.