They started in suburban basements, and now they’ll be taking over the Metro stage for a night—The Hush Sound’s journey up the rungs of the music scene have fueled their catalog of quirky baroque pop. What began as a casual artistic partnership between Bob Morris and Greta Morgan eventually became The Hush Sound, Chicago’s fix for pop oddities. After exhaustive tours and seemingly endless studio time, the Chicago quartet called a hiatus, leaving three albums of jangly indie pop behind. It’s been eight years since that break, and The Hush Sound is rearing to hit the road for yet another tour behind their recent EP, 45.

Alongside the Chicago quartet is Hockey is Portland duo Hockey. Still bursting with the sharp-tongued indie flavor of The Hush Sound, Hockey packs a gritty punch backed by their punk revivalist tastes. Their 2009 debut brought jaw popping single “Too Fake,” a radio staple for the year. Now, Hockey is back for a return with Wyeth IS, throwing back to strains of New Wave gleam, toting around “vintage keyboards and drum machines made famous by 80’s hip hop.” Hockey has scored a new sound, and it’s definitely one worth hearing.

Now, the two young and fresh indie staples are teaming up for a tour. Hush Sound’s chipper melodies and Hockey’s collar-popped finesse will hit the Metro stage on Tuesday, June 4.

JUST ANNOUNCED – FREE EVENT @ GMAN:
Wednesday, June 5: TRANSITION ART SERIES OPENING EVENT featuring the work of Carlos Canario * live set from Scott Lucas of Local H
Saturday, June 8: THE 2013 US AIR GUITAR QUALIFIER

Producer D33J has remixed Houses’ “The Beauty Surrounds,” staying true to the original song’s slow and synthy structure.  With a subdued-but-bubbling beat in the background, D33J’s rework maintains the track’s laidback vibe, but lends it an entirely new and dramatic build.  Listen to the remix here, and Catch both D33J and Houses at Metro with Baths on June 7th.

While plenty of us are ready to welcome the warmth and relaxation of summer with open arms, Boxer Rebellion is prepping for one of the busiest epochs of their career. The London quartet will be hitting the festival circuit hard in support of their fourth album, Promises. Soaking in every spare minute before touring life, the band took Clash out for a day of record shopping to talk latest music obsessions, and the best spots for quick cup of coffee. Check out the full feature here.

Will Wiesenfeld’s beat muddling electro project, Baths, is still looking at a week before the release of his sophomore release, but fans can skip the wait and listen on Pitchfork Advance. What Wiesenfeld has dubbed his “weird version of a pop record,” Obsidian is a shadowy, off-kilter follow-up Baths’s explosive 2010 debut. Give it a listen here.

Tricky may have risen to fame in the wake of the flourishing trip-hop scene of the ‘90s, but he’s armed with plenty more than fizzling backbeats and drum-driven breakdowns for his tenth studio release. While the Bristol rapper is hard fought to top his soundscaping 1995 debut Maxinquaye, he produces a tough contender with False Idols, due out in just a week. Don’t wait the week until its release—listen to False Idols via NPR Music now!

Chance the Rapper’s new mixtape Acid Rap has been hailed as anything but conventional.  In an interview with MTV, Chance describes this release as “acid jazz influenced,” as well as a “critical discourse analysis that evokes people to analyze words and rhetoric.”  This marks a departure from the more standard hip-hop on 10 Day, the Chicago rapper's first mixtape.  Watch the full interview here.