D.C. has a rich musical history, but there’s still a chapter being written: what’s happening now. Indeed, there are tons of bands dominating the local music scene and DCist has only scratched the surface in our coverage of local music. Welcome to Listen To This, a new semi-regular feature wherein DCist’s music staff shares new(ish) and/or noteworthy music from local artists that they’ve come across.
Paperhaus, “Cairo”
The D.C. indie collective Paperhaus has played all over the city this summer. Aside from their own DIY space—also called Paperhaus—the band was also part of a DCist concert series in late May. Most recently, the band brought their shimmery, psychedelic indie-pop over to the In It Together Fest (shame on you if you missed that one, by the way) pre-show at Fort Loko. Even with a busy show schedule—locally, anyway—the band wrote and released a single “Cairo,” which is on the heels of a mini-tour that starts on August 28 in Athens, Georgia. The song is a pleasant mix of indie rock, with swirls of psychedelic melodies. As one guitar repeats the same hook, the other works the higher register of the neck, for an effect that’s both hypnotic and catchy.
At nearly seven minutes, “Cairo” is long for a single. There’s a jam session in the middle, one where the athletic rhythm section keeps a driving pace even as the solos meander. “Cairo” almost has the structure we would expect from classical movements, except the payoff is an intense, fuzzy climax of post-punk. It’s enough to get you eager for the band’s return to D.C. this September. — Alan Zilberman
Paperhaus plays a single release show at Comet Ping Pong with The Sea Life, BRNDA, and DJ Outputmessage on September 13.
Sun Cycle, “Sun Cycle”
“A new psych-rock band from D.C.” isn’t really a phrase you hear a lot these days. Indie rock, or post-punk, or post-dream-pop-something-or-other, sure. But Sun Cycle essentially flips the bird to all of that on their self-titled debut EP. The trio oozes through the nearly 30-minute album with no shortage of drum fills, distortion, or face-melting solos.
But what’s especially noteworthy here—despite the fuzz—is the EP’s lightness. There’s an absence of the in-your-face psych-rock stoner power of two of the band’s clear influences, Tame Impala and Dead Meadow. Rather than crushing the listener out of the gate, Sun Cycle coax you in, slow and sensual. Part of that success lies in drummer Julia Johnson’s syrupy vocals, which float in the background of opening track “Onn//Onn.”
But don’t expect seven minutes of dreamy, sluggish ambience. Guitarist Sean Lesczynski ensures you’ll never be bored. It’s frankly refreshing to hear Led Zeppelin-worthy solos that just shred. “Walking Out” braids a repeating guitar motif through jangly licks and a fatty solo. But if you’re looking for a solo that totally wrecks, observe the power of “Pandas.” Sam Catherman’s hooky bassline prepares you for a tantalizing breakdown, which turns out to be a nearly three-minute guitar solo.
Sun Cycle should never be anything but a trio. There are so many effects going, with frequently jazzy drum beats, that any more features would sound anxious. Rightly so, however, the members fill their sound to the brim without overflowing, like a carefully packed car ready for college. But these guys are far from undergrad naivety—they’re highly skilled, natural musicians and this EP is surely not the last we’ll hear from them. — Tori Kerr
Sun Cycle plays an EP release show Tuesday, August 12th at DC9.
Young Trynas, “Demo”
Baltimore’s Young Trynas put out their demo back in April, but I just recently caught them live at a house show in NE last month, and I haven’t been able to get this demo out of my head since. The band—a side project of Priests bassist Taylor Mulitz—plays a kind noisy, garage-y take on harDCore.
The demo’s opening track, “$”—a kind of cheeky anthem of being broke but not wanting to work hard to earn money—totally fits in the lexicon of the old D.C. hardcore bands like Minor Threat and Bikini Kill, but has a kind of melodic, nuanced rhythm to it. It builds up to a cathartic boiling point where Mulitz lets loose, screaming “fuck you, pay me!” Listen to what she says, buy the album here.
