With tenaciously powerful vocals compounded and accentuated by riff-rampant grooves, Sheer Mag creates a sweaty, smoky, uncompromising brand of rock ‘n’ roll. Fueled by an earnest dynamic that exudes a savvy grit, their songs rally the listeners, building momentum in a fun, uproarious manner. The band will be starting its summer tour this Saturday evening at World Cafe Live, supported by Thin Lips, whose melodic powerpop opens a window into intimate, cathartic narratives. Also along for the ride is slick Louisville rock outfit White Reaper. – Michael Colavita 

Other places where you can enjoy this Summer Solstice weekend…

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) SAT Midnight Singers, Travel Lanes, Joey Sweeney & The Neon Grease

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Ramona/DJ Deejay, SAT Narcos Family Band, The Magnificent Shithawks Of The Greater Northern Americas/Fame Lust, SUN Behind Deadlines, Fuzzy Slippers/Curanderos, Moral Crayfish

Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) FRI Boysetsfire, Restorations, SAT Boysetsfire, Restorations

The Foundry (29 E. Allen St.) SAT Tommy Conwell And The Young Rumblers, Creem Circus, SUN Catie Turner

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) SAT (Upstairs)  DJ Oluwafemi/(Downstairs) Sheer Mag, Thin Lips

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI  Stripped Down & Unplugged Fest: Laura Purfield, Sh’Bang/Voodoo Death Cult, The Heels, Banged Up, SUN Gas Money, House Plant, Thrillchaser/Behind The Horror, The Lima Division, Big Handsome

MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI Camp Candle, SAT Tuck Ryan Band

Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3^rd St.) SAT GROSS, World Below

The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) SUN Rover Rover, Rachel Andie and the Fifth Element, Sleepmonster

Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI Bo Bliz, SAT DJ Deejay

Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) FRI Live Band Karaoke, SAT Paul Green Adult Program, SUN Rusty Cadillac

Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2^nd St.) FRI Adventure Lost, Andorra, At Best, SAT Dirty Soap, River Bones Band, SUN Kicking Down Doors, John Galla

Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9^th St.) SAT Knightlife

Morgan’s Pier (221 N. Columbus Blvd.) SAT Menace Cartel, SUN New Pony Band

Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI DJ AZN JAKE, SAT DJ Drootrax, SUN A Midsummer Nightmare: A Drag Tribute to Tim Burton

Century (1350 S. 29^th St.) FRI Voltheque, Worst Ones, Pataphor, SAT Pushin' it 2 the Limit (Tape Release), Code of the Jaguar, Los Gueys

The Tusk (430 South St.) FRI Live Not On Evil, Street Vengeance, The Noid, SAT Shark Bullet, Misfit Holiday

The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI The Funky T, Rachel Andre & the Fifth Element, SAT Mesmeria, Dr. Beardface, Jay Skull In Spades, The Cluster Flies

Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI Electron, Catullus, SUN Ben Arnold, Matt Santry

Molestice (100 Block of N. Mole St.) SAT &More, Ali Awan, Great Time, Camp Candle

The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18^th St.) FRI Yeenar (EP Release), Honeytiger, Droopies

Creep Records (1050 N. Hancock St.) FRI Afloat, Science Club

Warehouse on Watts (923 N. Watts St.) FRI Rob Paine & Francisco Collazo

Haus Of Yarga (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Booklegger, Hyve, Ty Miller & the Miller Lites

In the midst of touring in support of Camp Cope, Thin Lips van fell into disrepair. The funds generated from the band latest EP Carrot Milk (which is currently available for "name your price" via the Bandcamp) will aid in alleviating that financial burden. It's a stripped-down sound for the rockers, putting the vulnerability of their songs on display. Through processing grief and consistently fine-tuning one’s personal framework, a freedom and strength emerges. Each day has the potential to be a fresh start/new beginning. You can catch the power trio with Camp Cope and Oceanator this Saturday, April 27 at First Unitarian Church.

Sometimes, it's easy to be consumed by personal circumstances, to feel that your individual situations are unique. Hence, you justify insulating yourself, turning your back on the outside world, when that may be the remedy to breaking the cycle. The portal of connection that you forge with others, via empathy, is a vital component in establishing a sense of community. Thin Lips find a way to maneuver through personal trials and tribulations, exposing vulnerability and insecurities in an unflinching emotive fervor. Harnessing that raw force with a melodic, pop-punk orientation, the plots play out in heavy yet refined swells; controlled, explosive songs tear down self-imposed walls, revealing that we’re all in this together. Billowing with emotion, the quintet of State Champs rolls ahead in composed, impactful waves, setting the stage for the collective, anthemic outpouring of local legends The Starting Line this Saturday at Franklin Music Hall. – Michael Colavita

Other places where you can avoid shoppers this weekend…

Franklin Music Hall (421 N. 7^th St.) SAT The Starting Line, Thin Lips

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) SAT Photon Band, American Trappist, Mt Vengeance

Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Dreamswell, iAlive

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Charley Coin/DJ Lil Dave, DJ Shango, SAT The Fleeting Ends/DJSC, SUN Full Bush, Dear Forbidden, Babe Grenade

Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) SAT Automatic 253

The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) SAT The 8th Annual Philly Hip Hop Awards, SUN Screamcloud, Big Handsome, Tiger Oil, Ascension Drive, Social Ruins, Dinosaur Diner, Mrs. Kitching

The Foundry (1000 Frankford Ave.) SAT Danny & Mary

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI (Upstairs) Toby Lightman, SAT (Upstairs) School of Rock Philadelphia/Dukes of Destiny

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI The Virus, Batallion Zoska, Stolen Wheelchairs, The Asthmatix, SAT Last Minute Hero, Moonflower, SUN Earth7, Familiar Things, Voltheque

MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) SAT Civil Holdup

Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3^rd St.) FRI The 1910 Chainsaw Company, Joey Sweeney, SAT Hotbed, Tetra, Dolphin Hotel

The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) FRI Full Bush, Grace Vonderkuhn, SAT Adventure Lost, Mirrorsigns

Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI DJ Sylo, Astro 8000, SAT DJ Deejay

Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SUN Rusty Cadillac 

Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2^nd St.) FRI Stella Ruze, Pete Hill, John Gilbride, SAT 56 Men, SUN Tiffany Janell, Séana Bailey

Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9^th St.) FRI The Eighth Fish of Christmas, SAT The Eighth Fish of Christmas

Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI Royale, SAT Ed Christof, SUN A Celebration Of Nerds

Century (1350 S. 29^th St.) FRI Secret Cutter, Bandit, SAT Thorazine, The End A.D.

The Tusk (430 South St.) SAT Wrong Planet, No Nothing, Belt Fed

The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Stealing From Thieves, Delmont, Bohemian Mule, Goodthief, SAT Atomic Sky, The Band Sheep, Sonny Knockout, The Phazers

Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI Morgan Pinkstone, SAT Jeff Washington Band, SUN The Newspaper Taxis

Creep Records (1050 N. Hancock St.) SAT Goalkeeper (EP Release), Midfield

Green Line Cafe (4426 Locust St.) SAT Swanning, Greg Electric, Psychic Flowers

The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18^th St.) FRI No Mere Machine, Snakes & Vultures, The Year End, SAT Overeasy, Blue Velvet

LAVA Space (4134 Lancaster Ave.) SAT Pinkwash, Iffy, Todd Killings

No Face Studios (5213 Grays Ave.) FRI Inspector Moon, Noera, In Trouble, Scyphozoan

The Music Ward (5101 Grays Ave.) FRI Port Arthur, Elaine Rasnake, SAT Internal Rhyme, PRLM CHLD

Living Room Show (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SUN Alec Ounsworth

A pair of Lame-O’s latest releases are being celebrated this Saturday with a dual record release show at the First Unitarian Church. An endearing, country-folk vulnerability is ingrained throughout I’ll Sing, the sophomore album from Shannen Moser. Time-worn tradition meets the empathetic-transformative nature of her personal narratives. Stirring sensitivity sends shivers up your spine, and the warmth of rollicking rockers make this an album that can keep you company or be embraced in a communal collective. Sharing common ground, The Deli Philly’s August Record of the Month, Chosen Family by Thin Lips, is one which unfolds in accessible, revealing lyrics delivered by Chrissy Tashjian. The confidence/ability to put it all on the line forges a instant connection. With that established, the momentous, fire-starting riffs and melodies envelop in songs that tap into a raw swell of feelings and force. With its debut full-length album Sleep Debt out today via Take This To Heart Records, No Thank You’s Nicholas Holdorf-led quintet Cheer Up captures an expansive, bright, bouncy, thought-collecting emo. Speaking of new records, the quartet of So Totally is currently working on its latest. – Michael Colavita

More new sounds to check out this weekend…

First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut St.) SAT Thin Lips/Shannen Moser (Dual Record Release), So Totally, Cheer Up

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Langor, SAT 5th Annual Night of 1,000 Kates, SUN Lucy Stone 

Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Yowler, SAT Ben Arnold & The 48HR Orchestra, Cliff Hillis

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Christopher Davis Shannon/DJ Deejay, SAT The Drowned God, The University of South Vietnam School of Warfare, Sleepsculptor, Witness/Fame Lust

PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12^th St.) FRI Remember Sports, Corey Flood, SUN 7th Victim

Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) FRI Goldenspiral DJ, SUN Joey Stix & Frankie Vado, Evan Wize, The Burgeoning, KAYIN, Night Bloom

Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden St,) FRI Jedi Mind Tricks

The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) FRI Agent Zero, Jeff Omega

The Foundry (1000 Frankford Ave.) SAT Ceramic Animal, Cold Fronts

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) SAT (Upstairs)  Nothing Wrong, Jefferson Berry & the Urban Acoustic Coalition

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) SAT Naps Past Noon, Civil HoldUp, Needless Ghost, SUN Punk Hands

MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI Dry Reef, Crucial, SAT The Chris Paterno Band, SAT Joshua Chase Miller, SUN Grady Hoss & The Sidewinders

Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3^rd St.) FRI Grace Vonderkuhn, Tetra, Ali Awan, SAT Welter, Taxes, SUN Sunchoke, Broke Body, Blame Jakob

Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2^nd St.) FRI Rachel Andie & The V Element, Elaine Rasnake, SAT Gabe Wolf, Destiny X, SUN Randy Scott Carroll

The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) SAT Among Criminals, La Capitaña, Something Like A Monument / Conversations, Flat Mary Road, South on Sunday, SUN Hellings

Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI Bo Bliz, SAT DJ Deejay

Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SUN Rusty Cadillac 

Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St) FRI Chalk & The Beige Americans, The 1940s, All This Huxley, SAT Milton, Kohn

The Tusk (430 South St.) FRI SOLD (Release Show), Ramona, Machine Gun Joe, Blood Sound

Voltage Lounge (421 N. 7th St.) FRI RFA, SUN Farewell Summer

Morgan’s Pier (221 N. Columbus Blvd.) FRI DJ Beatstreet, SUN Ear Me Now

Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI Ben Aire, SAT Drootrax

The Grape Room (105 Grape St) FRI Danny Newport, Cain Kerner & Joji Ruffin, XPresidents, SAT Sage Turtle, Super Bonanza

Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI The Dead Milkmen, She Became Grey, SAT Muscle Tough, SUN Splintered Sunlight  

Creep Records (1050 N. Hancock St.) FRI Control For Smilers, SAT Ronnie Riggles, Schilly, Charley Coin

The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18^th St.) FRI Violet Waves, Mesa Glow, Douse

LAVA Space (4134 Lancaster Ave.) SUN The Obsessives, Strawberry Runners

Tralfamadore (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Rentboy, Secret Nudist Friends

Tundra Dome (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SUN Data, TVO, Cavemen

Thin Lips’ sophomore LP Chosen Family is an earnest homage to making peace with the past, the necessary balm of friendship, and the power of feeling your feels.

The album appropriately begins with its titular track that recounts a dream and a memory with vulnerability framed by the atmospheric swell of buzzing riffs that seamlessly ease into "Gaslight Anthem (The Song Not the Band)”. Liken to a prologue, "Chosen Family" prepares listeners for the emotive context of the LP's progression. An evocative origin story of sorts, it becomes part artifact and part testimony. Even as "Gaslight Anthem" begins, the vulnerability of the album's opener lingers, pushing the lyrical immediacy of all that comes after deeper into the heart of the audience. As Chrissy Tashjian sings, “but I was there, I won’t just let it go,” “Gaslight Anthem” erects a monument to the past, reminding us how what haunts or heals us pushes us into the future – for better or worse.

“A Song for Those Who Miss You All the Time” recalls the melodic dissonance of earworms like Built to Spill’s “Center of the Universe” or The Promise Ring’s “B is Bethlehem,” conveying a similar sense of yearning and nostalgia as each second passes. When Tashjian croons, “You were free of everything that holds us in our place, that holds us back from grace,” the track feels like salve. Jubilant in a realistic way, Chosen Family’s third track is infused with a pragmatic hope from beginning to end, while “Smoking’s for Quitters” is a moody and meaningful exploration of mortality, the necessity of intimacy, and the existential urge to search for wholeness. Lines like “we’re all gonna die” and “it’s hard to care” shake its listener out of disillusionment without the artifice of optimism.

“South America” and “I Know I’m the Asshole” feel synonymous with Best Coast’s “Goodbye” and the broodiest cuts on Bleached’s Ride Your Heart, while “Saying Yes” and “What’s So Bad About Being Lonely” bring to mind Dude York and 90s icons like Veruca Salt. “Sex Is Complicated” is a refreshing anthem about intimacy and the cons of human closeness. When Tashjian asks, “can bodies tell a lie,” fans are forced to grapple with the answer. And with “So Stoned,” there is a melodic and emotionally raw yet subtle in a way that makes it easily memorable.  The honesty of “It’s Hard To Tell The Difference When You’re Afraid of Literally Everything” is a relatable, introspective confession that grapples with the complexities of autonomy and self-awareness. As Tashjian sings, “I’m not sure if I know what I’ve done, what I’ll become,” alongside guitar licks and snare, it feels; it’s difficult not to empathize.

“What If I Saw You on the Street” is a dance worthy cut with a pop-laced backbeat that hums with an energized urgency that perfectly prefaces Chosen Family’s final offering, “The Kate Escape.” A song about an ending on the brink of a new beginning, the last narrative on the Thin Lips’ latest full-length will make listeners feel less alone in a world that often feels impossible. – Dianca London