On February 12th, West Hartford’s Cassie’s Crutch released their much anticipated, self-titled debut album. When I say much anticipated, I mean by me (I don’t care what my dad or Neil DeGrasse Tyson says, the universe revolves around me). Their first two singles, “Entropy” and “Sunshine and Grey,” struck a poppy, indie rock chord with featuring smooth guitar play that you all know I’m a complete sucker for. On Cassie’s Crutch though, what I found was unexpected.

I’ve discovered “Couch” by PONY; chicken soul for the intrepid entrepreneurial soul. It’s a song for people who believe in bringing dreams to reality. It’s music for people who persist in the face of long odds to create. Most importantly though, it’s music worth listening to.

Clever Girls, the 4 piece indie outfit from Burlington, VT have a new record, Constellations, due out on March 26th. “Baby Blue” the latest single off their upcoming project, is a dream pop ballad that will touch your soul.

There’s a lot to enjoy about new comers Cassie’s Crutch. The West Hartford band’s new single, aptly titled “Sunshine and Grey,” plays with tone, pace, and even features the bells and a violin.

Indie rock outfit Friends Don’t Die and their two newly released singles were brought to my attention recently and they didn’t disappoint. In fact, I would say I was pleasantly surprised at how polished the songs were, as they’re the only two tracks that are publicly available.

Variety is the word of the day for The Strokes and their new album, The New Abnormal. The project, released on Friday, generally has a New Wave sound. To simply call it New Wave doesn’t do it justice, as it has Julian Casablancas and the rest of the boys from New York throwing us a bunch of different sounds, ranging from late ‘80s post punk to modern indie pop to mid-oughts guitar rock.