Maryland:

Lower Dens

CITY: Baltimore
SONG TO DOWNLOAD: "Brains"
WEBSITE: http://lowerdens.com/

Between Beach House, Ponytail, and Wye Oak, Baltimore has been killing it these past few years. In 2012, it’s Lower Dens’ turn. After years of playing dark, introspective folk and rolling with Devendra Banhart’s Enlightened Family crew, Jana Hunter moved to Baltimore, sought out Wham City’s anything-goes post-industrial warehouse scene, and formed Lower Dens with some kindred spirits. Their 2010 debut, Twin-Hand Movement, has a sleeper-creeper cult following, but this year’s stunning Nootropics is an all-out darkwave masterpiece — it draws from post-punk and new-wave influences, probes the anxious relationship between humans and machines, and settles in the darkest recesses of your sci-fi-tinged subconscious. On Nootropics, Lower Dens added keyboardist Carter Tanton, formerly of Boston indie-rock alums Tulsa, which might be part of the reason that their April show at Great Scott was so packed. The other reason is that Lower Dens rule. Hard.

_Nina Mashurova

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Record Label You Should Know: WTR CLR Records

It keeps a pretty low profile while consistently putting out releases by Baltimore’s best rising artists, including Cex, Delicate Steve, Dope Body, Dustin Wong, and Teeth Mountain.

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