Taking a look at the store website for local D.C. record shop/music venue Byrdland led me to find out that the local music scene has some cool stuff going on these days. On a whim, I saved several and listened to them. Here are some capsule reviews if you're curious about some music you might not have heard before.
Photo belongs to Eric Weed & Byrdland Records (© ESW '20 / © 2023 Byrdland Records)
The Natural World - Spring Silver (2019)
Spring Silver is a singer/songwriter that reminds me of the indie rock I used to listen to the late 2000s and early 2010s mixed with emo influences and lyrics based on being Black, genderqueer, and from The District. Can certainly parse out other groups like Dirty Projectors, Battles, and Yeasayer but they mix it well with other genres, shifting between metal and pop within songs. I like what they're putting out with this album and will be checking out more their albums.
Tracks to hear: "Mountebank", "Mon Beau", "Waterfront", "Keep the Peace", "Kin", "Hypnotist"
Tell No One - Bad Moves (2018)
Wikipedia isn't wrong - this is definitely a power pop band. It feels a bit like a throwback (the lead vocals make me think of a mellower, queerer version of The Donnas) but its really good. It scratches a sizeable itch with short hard pop songs and they sound like they're really fun to see live.
Tracks to hear: "One Thing", "Cool Generator", "Spirit FM", "Give It a Shot", "Out of Reach", "Shut Your Eyes", "Missing You"
Love in High Demand - Too Free (2020)
Synth-pop/house music presented in a series of quick songs over 30 minutes. I'd recommend checking out this Rolling Stone article if you want to know more. I like a couple of the songs but part way through the album, I realized that I'm not sure how to figure out this one because of one thing: I actually don't like 80s/90s house music (even though I love disco and most dance music, House is too cold for me somehow...). If that's your thing, I think you'll enjoy this album more than I did - give it a spin and see how you feel.
Tracks to hear: "Gold", "Breathing Underwater"