Softly, Dear – I had the chance to catch this Eau Claire, WI band at the Columbus DIY space The House With No Name last month. The indie pop band has their social media tagline “good vibes” and this is true – the band plays a sunny brand of music that’s earnest and confident. Drummer Alex Adkinson especially seemed to be having a good time that night. The band is deservedly opening for buzz band Bear Hands soon. I hope these guys move off the house show circuit soon!

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEZHSAS947E[/youtube]

Spaceface – This band is the side project of Flaming Lips guitarist Jake Ingalls and sounds exactly like you would expect them to. Otherworldly and in another dimension. Word is when the band tours they have a artist that custom builds a set for them each night. So, in theory no two sets are quite the same. I’m just shocked I haven’t heard of this band yet, given their pedigree. Turtle Island (who played a Tuned Up show in July) will be opening for them on Sept 30th in Tuned Up hometown Columbus alongside psych-blues power trio The Worn Flints. We can’t wait for this one! In any case, psych fans are sure to enjoy getting lost in this trip…

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riheT9mBfrE[/youtube]

Adelyn Rose – I’m allowed to discuss two bands I heard in one show in a Relevant Discoveries right?! Adelyn Strei puts more emphasis on the “pop” in indie pop, although not really in the conventional sense. A new song, “Perhaps,” is beautifully melancholy. The band was a suitable opener for the louder Softly, Dear this particular night. “It Means Shadow” has some crunchy synths (yes, crunchy)that show another dimension of the project. The soaring vocals remain the same, though.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/135601329″ /]