Discoverer 102: new indie findings

Finally having a weekend relaxed enough to prepare a new chapter of our Discoverer Series. One pretty heavy on guitars, enjoy!

Ex Hex. Already posted about them on a couple of Jukebox posts, so the expectations were extremely higher. Something understandable when you know this is the new project of the great Mary Timony from Helium, Autoclave and Wild Flag, along with Laura Harris on drums and Betsy Wright on bass. Hailing from Washington D.C, the power trio assembled in 2013, played a handful of shows, released the limited 7" 'Hot and Cold' on Merge Records, backed with two additional tunes, before heading into the studio in the spring of 2014. The result is 'Rips', a flawless album of pure, unapologetic, ridiculously pleasant indie-rock. A slap in the face to every single critic and/or pedantic hipster. Because in the end, this is what music should be, or make you feel: a fun as hell, smiling, shaking, liberating experience. It comes out in a couple of weeks and, needless to say, it's an absolute must.

Radical Dads. Formed by Robbie Guertin (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah), Lindsay Baker, and Chris Diken, who met in college in late 90s, and formed the band in 2008, after reuniting in Brooklyn, NY. Debut 7" 'Recklessness' arrived in 2010, followed quickly by album 'Mega-Rama' and 7" 'Skateboard Bulldog' in 2011. Another single, 'Torrential Zen', came out a year later, while 2013 saw them releasing sophomore LP 'Rapid Reality' and another 7", 'Creature Out'. The combo continues with their prolific career, now presenting a tape called 'Cassette Brain', out on Old Flame Records in early October. Energetic blasts in the form of intense pills of indie-rock devoted to the 90s (Pixies, Sleater-Kinney, Sonic Youth), channelled in Baker's powerful Baker's and a tone of guitar lines. Radical love.

Feature. And yet another trio, the one formed by Liv Willars, Jen Calleja and Heather Perkins, this time coming from London, UK, and active since 2011. Initially a duo (Liv & Jen), they debuted in October 2012 with EP 'Memory', a 5-track release to freely grab at their bandcamp or in limited cassette format via Cazenove Tapes. In May of 2014 came their second EP with 'Culture of the Copy' out in Tye Die Tapes and now as a trio they return with 'Tourists' EP, a 6-track split release with Slowcoaches taken from their upcoming tour, including 2 tunes plus a cover of Wire's "Mannequin". Raucous, distorted, raw punk combined with sweet-sounding vocal harmonies. Mandatory feature.