Hurry Up — “American Weirdos”

Hurry Up is a Portland-based punk rock band made up of Kathy Foster and Westin Glass (both formerly of the Thermals) and Maggie Vail (Bangs). The song “American Weirdos” is the opening track from their new album, “Dismal Nitch,” which came out in June. It’s a fierce display of punchy percussion and screaming guitar with vocal vibrancy to match.

Michelle — “Sea Shanty”

The six-member New York pop music collective Michelle recently dropped this mesmerizing single. According to the band, “Sea Shanty” is a “tense, pensive” performance. “Maybe a daydream, or a nightmare, the song soundtracks the calm before the storm — the moment before a journey, the moment after a sobering realization.”

Fatlip & Blu — “Good For The Soul”

Fatlip (of Pharcyde fame) and fellow Los Angeles emcee Blu recently released a new mix of the song “Good For The Soul” featuring Hemlock Ernst (aka, Samuel T. Herring of Future Islands) and Ras Kass. This extended version was originally recorded as part of their collaboration “Live From the End of the World, Vol. 1 (Demos)” which was originally released last April. The track’s lyrical dexterity and breezy production is a marvelous representation of classic West Coast hip-hop.