With Stone Deaf's well-anticipated single "Joculator", the atmosphere shifts; the air suddenly feels thinner, charged with static and the sweet promise of bad decisions. Coming out of Swansea, these guys Michael Pole, Benjamin Lake, and Charlie Ridgway seem intent on resurrecting the ghost of every raucous basement party you vaguely remember leaving long after you should have gone home. > Pre-save here! < The sound doesn't...

Maverick Smith’s “We Make Fire, They Make Smoke” lands not with a thud, but with the distinct, satisfying crackle of something catching alight. It’s a title that carries the grit of the Ohio Valley in its consonants, a resolute statement from a band – Paige Bosic on commanding vocals and rhythm guitar, Sean Boynes sculpting soundscapes on guitar, Jim Courtney’s intricate drumming, Charlie Kovach’s...