Slothrust – “Cranium”: Listening to Slothrust’s new single is oddly calming tonight. This week went from zero to 100 really quick and after a productive day this song is complementing the satisfactory feeling I have well. It has all the elements of an indie rock track I love. Pensive melody. A simple yet effective guitar solo. A caressing bass. And a drawn out length that doesn’t feel drawn out. [featured photo by Lindsey Byrnes]

Speak Seldom – “You Got Me”: The synthpop project out of Columbus continues to be one of the most overlooked local projects putting out immaculate singles, in my view. While earlier personal favorite “California” leaned heavy into sun-drenched vibes, “You Got Me” is a bit more airy and pensive, bringing into the forefront the jazz-like vocals of Trudi Kurtz. As has been the case in previous releases, a well placed guitar melody emerges at just the right time and lingers in my psyche.

Modeling – “Nothing Unexpected”: While Modeling has generally reeled me in via slow-build songs leading to big swells, the almost 6-minute long “Nothing Expected” defies its name with a driving synth-driven brushstrokes, marking the song as a high energy exercise right of the gate. While most synthpop and adjacent genre tracks tend to be on the shorter side, the first two minutes of the song seem to fly by, before getting to the first refrain. What I appreciate about Modeling is that they’re a lot of my personal vibe summed up in one musical project – leaning heavy into the neon and the vibes, but never content to stay exclusively in one lane.

Night Darling – “Drown More” / “Effigies”: The synthpopfolk something or other outfit from LA have accomplished a lot with only 4 songs to their name. The 2020 LA Band to Watch have a distinct sound that is seductive and foreboding. While “Drown More” gradually ramps up, “Effigies” is the band’s sound summed up in one song. Imagine the xx and Depeche Mode tinkering in your best friends basement. Then imagine their unnoticed-til-that-moment friend steps out of the shadows and drums this up. That’s what we’re dealing with, here.

Notelle – “Doctor Sign”: Weirdly, or perhaps not weirdly at all, Notelle’s industrial dark pop has been a sort of personal soundtrack for the pandemic. “Alive” accompanied me on many neighborhood walks in early lockdown. “Doctor Sign” is less about mystery and more just about anger. We’re all fatigued and irritated by our own personal problems, compounded by the unending pandemic. Notelle is channeling all of this into “Doctor Sign,” and the result is something really slick and cool. The breakdown near the end of the track brings to mind a rave from the Before Times, the audience vibing out to strobes bathing them with angst-ridden rays of light.

Mezzanines – “Winters on the West Coast”: Mezzanines is the alias of Zach McNair, a member of Forenn, an ambient project that is a Tuned Up favorite. Mezzanines is also an ambient project, but it’s less “a stroll through the forest at Twilight” and more about being oceanside in the grey weather. This comes across quite literally in this single, where you can hear the waves. Listen to this with a good set of headphones, please!

Mustafa Sal – “Wait For You”: I’ve been seeing this dude’s name pop up off and on as a follower of Tuned Up for awhile now, and I’ve made mental note of his growth. It’s the most evident on this new single, “Wait For You,” which occupies a pleasant middle ground between “upbeat bop” and “pensive indie tune.” Sal’s self imposed descriptor of “existential” is spot on. This musician is in a place alongside names like AJR, Ritt Momney, and others in terms of sound. As long as he stays genuine and doesn’t play too heavily into alt-pop clichés, he should be golden.