THE DRUMS :
An unlikely but undeniably catchy mix of Factory Records-style indie and ‘50s-inspired melodies, the Drums have roots that can be traced to the childhood friendship of Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham

The Drums became the buzz band of summer 2009 with the irresistible Summertime! EP, and their self-titled debut album arrived a year later with the song that generated all the commotion. “Let’s Go Surfing” is re-recorded here, boasting major-label polish and softer, more thoughtful verses, but that whistled hook is as irrepressible as ever, and as instantly recognizable as Peter Bjorn and John's “Young Folks” was a few years earlier. The rest of The Drums makes it even clearer that the band isn’t afraid to be pop with a capital P, and that the Drums know and love every trick in the pop handbook. The album is drenched in glossy reverb and awash in handclaps and harmonies, all of which help unite the band’s fetishes for spindly ‘80s indie guitars, innocent ‘50s melodies, and tinny drum machines and synths.



SURFER BLOOD :
There's plenty of fun in the sun to be had in South Florida-- unless it's surfing you have in mind. Save for the occasional hurricane, waves lap meekly against the shore. But for these aquatically-inclined West Palm Beachers, surfing would appear to be more thematic conceit than personal pastime. "Swim (To Reach the End)", off their forthcoming self-released debut, Astro Coast, is pure left coast-- from the echoing Brian Wilson harmonies to the Weezer-esque power pop chorus. California dreams are almost as old as California itself, but to their credit or naiveté, Surfer Blood play transparency as an asset, even as they use their source material to flirt with stadium-sized swells.