Captain Kidd – “One Night”: The ethereal indie popsters are back. Captain Kidd have been churning out burner after burner of neon-drenched tracks. They are all sensual, danceable, and have a weird transcendent quality to them. “Bleed” is my favorite in the single series so far, but “One Night” is going to grow on me, I can tell. I am currently sitting on the couch in Florida, and I have a sudden strong urge to drive to Miami after listening to this. I’ll have to settle for hearing this live at Steadfast Festival March 9th.

Tiger Drive – “Watch Me Go Live”: It feels oddly appropriate that Tiger Drive performed at Universal Studios the same time that this song was released. The band’s quest to appear in every major movie trailer continues, most recently with this badass synthwave-influenced alt pop ditty. The music video, which was released today, at first glance wasn’t what I expected. There’s a larger metaphor at play (heh) here on transitioning from a small-time artist to the big time. Tiger Drive seem to be positioning themselves as the pop-rock band of the future, and I’m here for it.

MILKK – “The Garden (I’ll Be Alright)”: This song is a feel-good track that could also serve as a good warm-up tune. I wouldn’t call it an anthem or a ballad. It’s neither a pensive tune nor a thriller. It just is what it is: confident and steady. It might be my favorite thing I’ve heard from the Nashville entity that formed kinda by accident (or so the story goes) in 2017. This is the first single from the band’s debut full length, Headrush.

VHS Collection – “Dreaming”: Why do songs always hit me in such a refreshing way when I’m on vacation? VHS Collection have both an aesthetic and sound not too far out of line from M83 and The Midnight, but would fit at home on a tour with Walk the Moon or morgxn from the sound of this song.

Tangerine – “Chains”: When you hear a line like “I am always drawn to magic like somebody else’s life,” you have to respect the whimsicality within. You have to love a name like “Tangerine” too. Their sound isn’t too far off from what you would expect from hearing that. The song feels like it’s being played in an indoor space with a lot of greenery—yet a lot of echo. So, a half full greenhouse? Pardon the awkward description, but I’m impressed by the way the mix brings everything together.