Well, I’m killing time in a pizza parlor before the band I’m here to see goes on in the basement downstairs. Let’s discuss some rad new tunes, eh?

LAVE – “Washed Wine”: This is the peppiest song the dream pop duo out of Columbus has released thus far. I’m not sure what I expected, but I didn’t expect the song to be this upbeat. The warm tones aren’t all that surprising. There’s something very late-90s alt rock about this tune and I’m all about that.

Pretty Lights – “Rainbows and Waterfalls”: This song sounds basically exactly like what you’d expect with a title like “Rainbows and Waterfalls.” The drop is about as gentle as I’ve ever heard and yet I still find myself bobbing my head as I sip some orange Crush in this pizza shop. Orange Crush is the perfect drink to accompany this song, actually. So sweet, and yet so right. I’m also enjoying the homage to Daft Punk in the music video.

Biyo – “Fantasies”: What may be the most creative force in the Nashville pop movement is back with another banger of a single, “Fantasies.” This may the duo’s dreamiest track yet. Paradoxically, it carries a swagger whose punctuation is formed by aggressive synths. The duo most recently announced a short run of shows with the similarly titled BAIO and I think that is just perfect.

Danger Scene – “American Dream”: Man, what a banger. It’s been really fun to watch Danger Scene grow in their songwriting over the years and this might be my favorite song they’ve ever put out. It functions like somewhat of a sonic brother to “You Are the One” off of their Brothers EP. The song is definitely rave-ready and carries a sense of urgency to evaluate your life direction – including your choice to not move around like a madman to this song.