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All movement – and consequently, a lot of art – is a product of tension and release. In 2017, when multi-instrumentalists Nina Cates and Zack James decided to begin writing songs together, it was an exercise to see whether they could collaborate and anyone would be interested in anything they came up with. Now, Robber Robber’s debut album, Wild Guess, feels more like an exercise in tension and release than an indie record. For all of its nods to its post-punk predecessors and the eclectic Burlington, VT music scene that fed into it, the album feels more like an attempt to translate imagery into sound, communicating all the shades of light and dark you could visualize – and it’s better for that reason.

Everything is driven by sheer curiosity and loose, if any, creative parameters, the band says. A person’s twenties is guaranteed to be a tumultuous time in their life anyway, regardless of who they are or what they do, but the members of Robber Robber found themselves in a world that’s maybe never been more chaotic or difficult to move through. It’s a chaos that’s evident in what they create, even if it’s only the obstacle they’re reacting to. In even their most polarizing musical moments, you get the sense that these are gut reactions being expressed, that truth is the grist of the overflow.

Hailing from Albany, NY; genre blending dream pop/rock outfit Laveda set nostalgic and cinematic moods with a 90's-esque sound reminiscent of The Sundays and My Bloody Valentine. Unlike popular bands of the shoegaze revival movement, Laveda maintain polished pop vocal performances similar to artists such as Beach House and Billie Eilish. Founding members Ali and Jake voice the concerns of today’s younger generation throughout their debut record “What Happens After”.

Founded by duo Ali Genevich (Vocals/Guitar) and Jake Brooks (Vocals/Guitar/Synths), Laveda released their polished and ethereal debut album in 2020. As complex as it was colourful, ‘What Happens After’ saw the band compared to the likes of The Sundays and My Bloody Valentine as they attracted glowing praise across the US and beyond.

Citing the guitar-pop and crossover appeal of 90’s acts like Fountains of Wayne and the introspective layers of the American Analog Set as influences, Lost Film too finds ways to weave in and out of lanes at varying speeds but always with the destination of a pop hook. The Western Massachusetts indie pop project led by songwriter Jim Hewitt has been releasing jangly, melody forward records since 2015. The latest collection Keep It Together was recorded during a weekend trip to a log cabin during a blizzard. The concise 9 track album shows maturity in both sharpened songwriting and lush production and received praise from Stereogum, Flood Magazine, and NPR among others.  Following the album’s release on Relief Map Records, the full live band has been tapped as direct support by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Sweeping Promises, Far Caspian and Wild Pink. For what is self-described as a hobby or passion project for Hewitt, Lost Film has surpassed over a million Spotify streams and continues to be one of the most consistent must-see live acts in the Northeast.

“a gem like “Big Talk” just as readily calls back to more recent indie-pop history… I’m picking up everything from Beach Fossils to LVL UP on this one” - STEREOGUM

“Lost Film is a cult project, an influential voice in the American underground. Sparse yet affecting indie rock, the project's work to date recalls Pavement, Silver Jews and mid-period Sebadoh, all while forging a voice of its own.” - CLASH MAG