One fateful day back in high school I stumbled across The Autumns in a local Worcester record store’s cheap and used bin. Both The Angel Pool and the Suicide at Strell Park EP became records that rarely ever left heavy rotation. Saying I was completely obsessed would’ve been an understatement. “Apple” is a beautifully catchy track that I’m still madly in love with over a decade later.

They’re still alive and kicking, so make sure to check them out.

The Autumns – Apple

It’s always like finding treasure when you hear a singer/songwriter like Erik Hall writing singer/songwriter stuff that won’t sell in a coffee shop. The Way to a Monster’s Lair has that great yearn you hear in Mark Linkous, or Carter Tanton, or Neil Young, or any other man you imagine leaning over his guitar and bleeding songs out onto his scuffy basement carpet.

Buy the debut.

In Tall Buldings – Monsters Lair

With the dreams-you-have-in-a-coma vocals drifting above the army of drum rolls on this song, Celebration wrote a winner. They have more than a few which you should grab.

Celebration – Our Hearts Don’t Change

Starting off sparse, and climbing into a fuzzy myst of guitar tings and buzzes, this Trailer Trash Tracys song finds that sound that’s perfect for the mellow morning of a day you plan on liking.

Trailer Trash Tracys – You Wish You Were Red

These days, a lot of bands try to regress to decades past. They sound like they exclusively listen to records their dad’s bought at their age. Wild Nothing, however, own a fucking time machine.

Get it here.

Wild Nothing – Summer Holiday

This Tony Castles song is the perfect track three on that mixtape you’re making for that long summer trip on a Twainian raft, going down a river with a bag of apples and nothing to think about.

Tony Castles – Pirates

Before you know it, it will be over and you will have nodded along to chapter after chapter of this Twin Sister song, wondering when the droning vocal line ended and the twinkling shoegazey beat picked up. And you’ll really want that house built of old wood.

Twin Sister – I Want a House

When this girl in high school played me Belle and Sebastian for first time, she said to listen and pretend like I’m in a movie scene riding a bike. Small Black may never be monuments like the former band, but i think some 16 year old should tell another the same about this song.

Small Black – Despicable Dogs