Pile, Solids, Leapling, Radiator King

"No band in town — or anywhere — is wrecking melodies as efficiently as this bizarro grunge-land band right now. On "So Hard," Pile flirts with about a dozen shards of anthem-worthy melodies in about two minutes before retreating into a haze, and diving into the monolithic riffs of "The Browns." The layered chords are thick with dissonance, the asymmetrical beats tumble like drum sets tossed down the stairs, and every wry vocal feeds on playground bipolar outbursts. Sounds like a recipe for force-fed weirdness, but these crooked moves unfold like clockwork." – The Boston Globe

This charismatic Quebecois duo cut their teeth playing hardcore, but when Fat Possum and Dine Alone released their emotional, alt-rock debut, Blame Confusion, they transformed from working stiffs to full time musicians. Riding the line between sloppy, charismatic '90s rock à la Dinosaur Jr. and frenetic pop, like Canadian counterparts Japandroids, Solids are simultaneously grunge, pop, punk and noise. All killer, no filler, just the way we like it.

Leapling began as the home recordings of singer/guitarist Dan Arnes. After enlisting drummer Yoni David, bassist R.J. Gordon and guitarist Joey Postiglione they released their debut EP Losing Face via Father/ Daughter Records, garnering comparisons to experimental pop luminaries like Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Broadcast and Here We Go Magic. A refined pastiche of groovy krautrock, pastoral pop and skewed art-rock, Losing Face has already been called one of the best of EPs of 2013.

Despite the relative newness of the project, Leapling has a long history in Brooklyn's DIY scene (their members are the hearts and minds behind Bushwick venue Big Snow Buffalo Lodge) and have already been sharing stages with Twin Sister, Total Slacker and Ava Luna. The quartet is currently at work on their full length debut.

Rock 'n' roll from Adam Silvestri of Boston, Mass.