Superpuppet, OHMU, Daughter Snow

In the years since exiting emotive indie rock group Scooterbabe, Grafton Tanner has kept busy, penning his first book—a nonfiction dive into vaporwave—completing a master’s degree and diving headfirst into a musical project of his own. Tanner has helmed the avant-minded Superpuppet for roughly five years and released its first EP in 2018, the three-song Museum. Now, with a full-length prepped for release in 2020 that channels all the political, social and economic anxiety of our time, Tanner and Superpuppet show no signs of slowing down amid the chaos. Catch a smattering of the band’s latest material at The World Famous Thursday, where they’ll be joined by OHMU and Daughter Snow.

Crumb, Divino Nino, Shormey

Brooklyn four-piece Crumb has steadily been picking up steam over the past few years, largely on the heels of its highly streamable 2017 single, “Locket.” The dreamy, jazzy earworm—an almost indie rock equivalent to lo-fi beats to study to—fit snugly within playlists the streaming world over, racking up over 19 million plays to date on Spotify alone. The group’s first full-length album, Jinx, released this past June, doubles down on the strength of “Locket,” offering up a strong, cohesive collection of trip hop and psych-rock-inspired tunes. They’ll bring the vibes to the 40 Watt Club Friday, where they’ll be joined by Chicago’s Divino Niño and bedroom producer Shormey.

Weyes Blood, Helena Deland

Though the music Natalie Mering writes as Weyes Blood sounds like it’s from or inspired by a long-lost era of singer-songwriters, the moods and messages within her latest album, Titanic Rising, carry the distinct weight of this generation. Looking for love and greater purpose in a world rife with existential dread and confusion, Mering soldiers on with poise as best she can, at times even exuding elegance despite her woes, like on standout track “Wild Time,” with its apt refrain, “It’s a wild time to be alive.” It’s doubtful a baby grand piano and string section will be in tow for this tour, but you still won’t want to miss an opportunity to catch these gorgeous, of-the-moment tunes live.

Gringo Star, Nuclear Wintour, Outersea

Gringo Star has been a staple of the Atlanta music scene for 10 years now, electrifying audiences with occasionally psychedelic dives into the garage-rock deep end. The group is marking this anniversary with its first live album, Controlled Burn, which was recorded at The Earl in East Atlanta Village in late 2018. Featuring a smattering of both the band’s standout tracks and some lesser-known numbers from its five-album catalog, the record puts Gringo Star’s sultry swagger at the fore, with an excited Atlanta audience playing backup. Experience the whole thing yourself this Saturday night at the Caledonia Lounge, with additional sets from Nuclear Wintour and Outersea.

Man Man, Rebecca Black

Man Man emerged in the early 2000s with a brash amalgam of freak folk and weirdo pop, injecting the already outsider-prone genres with a dose of carnivalesque primacy. The band’s tour for 2006’s Six Demon Bag featured white-facepaint-adorned members singing in unison, “Fee-fi-fo-fum/ I smell the blood of an Englishman,” from that album’s standout, “Engrish Bwudd,” if that even remotely begins to give you an idea of where this Philadelphia troupe came from. Man Man has since shuffled its lineup around—though bandleader Honus Honus is still at its core—relocated to L.A. and pared back those wild tendencies in favor of a more accessible take on indie pop. Rebecca Black, of “Friday” fame, opens Friday’s show.

Outer Spaces, Deep State, Radiator Hospital, Dagmar Vork

If the name Cara Beth Satalino rings a bell, it’s for good reason. The singer-songwriter used to call Athens home in the early 2010s, when she fronted the beguiling trio Witches. Satalino moved to Baltimore around 2014, but not before getting a new musical endeavor, Outer Spaces, off the ground. She’s since released material under that moniker on a veritable who’s who of indie labels, including Matador, Don Giovanni and Saddle Creek, and is returning to town Friday in support of her latest full-length album, Gazing Globe. The new record finds the DIY-minded folk-rocker looking inward, reshaping her identity on her own terms, without the influence of how relationships form and fashion her into something else.

Rose Hotel, Sunset Pig, Little Gold, Dagmar Vork →

Jordan Reynolds’ musical career began in Bowling Green, KY, where she played keys and shared singing duties in the psych-inflected indie-rock quintet Buffalo Rodeo. She has since made her way to Atlanta and fashioned a new creative identity all her own in Rose Hotel, a dreamy outlet for home recording not too far off from the sounds of Mazzy Star and Jessica Pratt. With the release of her first full-length, I Will Only Come When It’s a Yes, Reynolds’ once-solo project evolves into a full-band affair, adding sonic heft to her intimate reflections on relationships and aging. Flicker will host a release show Saturday, with locals Little Gold and Dagmar Vork and Indiana group Sunset Pig also sharing the bill.

Roadkill Ghost Choir, T. Hardy Morris, Grand Vapids →

It’s always a bummer to see a great local band call it quits, especially one that’s repped the Classic City as well as DeLand, FL, transplants Roadkill Ghost Choir have. The brothers-in-arms—and brothers IRL—are retiring the name in pursuit of other creative outlets, and they’ll be riding off into the sunset with a farewell show at the Caledonia. Over an eight-year career, the group landed a spot on “Letterman,” showcased at Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza and issued some seriously stellar recordings—most recently, 2017’s False Youth Etcetera, which found the Shepards infusing their twangy rock with touches of ’80s synth textures and Springsteen-esque epics. T. Hardy Morris and Grand Vapids will provide emotional support.

Girlpool, Hatchie →

Few bands today can stake such a claim over development — both creatively and personally — forming their narrative as Girlpool, the brainchild of songwriters Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad. With the release of their debut full-length, 2015’s Before the World Was Big, the pair carved out an idiosyncratic niche with their nearly indistinguishable twee-like vocals and interwoven guitars. But over subsequent releases, Girlpool has eschewed their original set-up in favor of a fuller and more varied sound, incorporating drums, distorted guitars, and a noticeably wider vocal range produced by Tucker’s transition and accompanying hormone replacement therapy. Their third album, February’s What Chaos Is Imaginary adds drum machines and synths to the mix, resulting in what is sure to be another bold entry in this dynamic duo’s ever-evolving storyline.

Tune-Yards, My Brightest Diamond

Although Tune-Yards, the eclectic recording project of singer-songwriter Merrill Garbus, has existed since the mid-aughts, it wasn’t until the release of 2011’s Afropop-influenced w h o k i l l that she began turning heads of both listeners and critics alike (singles “Gangsta” or “Bizness” were the likely culprits). Garbus and fellow songwriter Nate Brenner continue to pull inspiration from various elements of dance music on i can feel you creep into my private life, released earlier this year, streamlining their patchwork production methods as Garbus looks inward, unpacking white privilege and guilt. My Brightest Diamond joins the touring trio this Friday at the Georgia Theatre.

Japanese Breakfast, Snail Mail, Art School Jocks

After a handful of lo-fi cassette releases, Michelle Zauner’s solo recording project, Japanese Breakfast, entered the national spotlight in 2016 with the release of Psychopomp, a collection of dreamy indie-rock tunes centered around the death of her mother and the grief that ensued. The album was re-released by Bloomington, IN label Dead Oceans before Zauner began work on her expansive follow-up, Soft Sounds From Another Planet. Released last year, the full-length displays a step up in terms of production quality, with Zauner’s textured, shoegaze-y guitar work grounding otherwise heavenly songs about interpersonal relationships. Maryland’s Snail Mail and Atlanta’s Art School Jocks open Wednesday’s show at the 40 Watt Club.

Algiers, Omni, Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires

The predominantly Atlanta-based four-piece Algiers dwells in sonic and thematic landscapes that are especially of the moment, blending elements of discordant post-punk with fiery traces of soul and gospel music. What results is a complex and heady mix of politically conscious resistance music, with lead singer Franklin James Fisher’s impassioned pipes rising up over the din of programmed drums, vocal samples and biting guitar, offering a voice of strength to the oppressed and downtrodden. The Matador-signed crew headlines this Tuesday show at the Caledonia Lounge alongside fellow ATLiens Omni and Alabama freewheelers Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires.

Juna, Strange Ranger, Harlot Party, Civils

While former emo mainstay Juna hasn’t exactly been hibernating since its last full-length, 2014’s On Courage—the band’s members have been active in a handful of other projects between Athens and Atlanta, including WF Addams, Malevich and Saline—Sunday marks the group’s first show together in roughly two years. The quintet has since cut On Courageto vinyl and will be playing a small run of shows throughout the Southeast to let folks know it’s back in action and working on new material. Portland, OR’s Strange Ranger, as well as locals Harlot Party (with whom Juna guitarist Garrett Knighton also plays) and Civils, flesh out this bill at The World Famous.

Triathalan, Innerwave, and New Madrid

For years, Triathalon has built its sound off of surf-inflected dream pop, the band’s former home base of Savannah washing its jams in waves of reverb. Recently, the core trio of Adam Intrator, Chad Scott Chilton and Hunter Jayne relocated, and their sound has acclimated to the hustle and bustle of their new stomping grounds, New York City. The influence of ’90s R&B has grown more present, too, with Triathalon’s recent full-length, Online, showcasing a less guitar-driven sound in favor of programmed beats, synths and Intrator’s front-and-center falsetto. Let the latest iteration of the band croon you and swoon you at Caledonia alongside fellow New Yorkers Innerwave and Athens’ New Madrid.

Lydia Lunch Retrovirus

As one of the most prominent artists of New York’s short-lived no-wave scene in the late ’70s, Lydia Lunch developed and displayed an affinity for the harsher and more discordant elements of making music. Alongside her band, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Lunch proved more punk than punk, claiming, “to play slide guitar, I’d use a knife, a beer bottle … glass gave the best sound.” That abrasive innovation still rings true with the singer’s most recent project, Retrovirus, which includes former Sonic Youth drummer Bob Bert and the Flying Luttenbachers guitarist Weasel Walter.

Helms Alee, Motherfucker, Marses

It’s apparent on Seattle trio Helms Alee’s most recent record, 2016’s Stillicide, that the band was intent on continuing to tamper with the trappings of both hard rock and being a three-piece. While its thick sound is still intact, at times coated in sludge and at others dissonantly shoegazing, new approaches to song structure and rhythm have surfaced from the deep. Drummer Hozoji Margullis’ dexterity and the shared vocal dynamics between her and guitarist Ben Verellen are especially striking on tracks like “Tit for Toe” and “Dream Long,” where a vast array of styles blend into one cohesive behemoth. Monday night’s bill is rounded out by heavy locals Motherfucker and Marses.

Mannequin Pussy, Paper Matador

Philadelphia punk outfit Mannequin Pussy contains multitudes. First thrashing with a power-chord offensive, the band can swiftly disorient by transitioning to an introspective arpeggio or poppy refrain at the drop of a dime. Its latest LP, 2016’s Romantic, does just that, especially on the title track, which alternates between endearingly woozy verses and a blaring chorus. Few of the group’s songs make it past the two-minute mark, making its recipe for hardcore bewilderment all the more potent, so head to the Caledonia Thursday and be sure not to blink. New Madrid frontman Phil McGill opens the show with his solo project, Paper Matador.

Gogol Bordello, Lucky Chops

At nine members strong, gypsy punks Gogol Bordello have made a career of acquainting American audiences with dub-inflected Eastern European music. Formed by lead singer Eugene Hütz in 1999, the band has toured relentlessly over the years with various lineups, showcasing its supercharged live show at both Vans Warped Tour and Bonnaroo. On its seventh and latest album, Seekers and Finders, the group of immigrants—ranging from Ukraine to Ecuador and Ethiopia—transforms global negativity into messages of self-empowerment and perseverance, like on the title track, which features Russian-born pop singer-songwriter Regina Spektor. Funky brass band Lucky Chops open Thursday’s show.

Swervedriver

Swervedriver, oft overlooked for the group's Creation Records peers My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive, always sounded like they had more of an affinity for America’s highways and alternative acts than the dreary, dreamy streets of England. Fittingly, then, the group returns to the States for a fall tour play their first two albums, Raise and Mezcal Head, in their entirety — both containing odes to the open road and sky. Though the band is slated to perform their 1991 debut and 1993 follow-up in full, it’s fair to hold out hope that they’ll showcase new material; the band has been crowdfunding an effort to record and release a new album, their first since 2015’s comeback I Wasn’t Born To Lose You.

Omni, Juan de Fuca, Neighbor Lady, Dead Neighbors

There’s no shortage of post-punk bands flirting with success beyond indie spheres these days. Out of the wiry, angular and occasionally dreary bunch, Atlanta trio Omni is arguably the most promising with something still to prove. The group, which includes former Balkans and Deerhunter guitarist Frankie Broyles and former Warehouse drummer Doug Bleichner, is more danceable than Parquet Courts and more lighthearted than Preoccupations and Savages—a winning combination. Omni’s forthcoming sophomore album, Multi-task, due in late September, will certainly give the band a chance to cement its place among a field of taut peers.