Punk outfit Beach Slang has hit the shores of Philly's DIY community with a vigorous punch. The group's gritty anthems, with their tenacious tones, contain a rollicking, vibrant energy, even in the darkest of places. They refer to themselves as "weird and wild," and these distinctions are certainly recognized within their music and performances. The band has started working on its second full-length album, the follow-up to The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us. To close out the end of an extensive spring tour, Beach Slang will return home to Union Transfer tonight, where they'll be joined by Potty Mouth, Dyke Drama, and Positive No. Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St., 7:30pm, $15, All Ages - Gina Rullo 

The sound of Queens natives Special Guest’s is a hard one to nail down  - which is always a good sign. They blend together elements from indie rock, shoegazer, psychedelia, and post-punk to create a uniquely layered, complex musical style. Their self-titled debut album was released in the winter of 2015, and features 12 tracks, each one standing out in its own way. “Quatro” and “Bouncy” rely heavily on psychedelic flourishes and evolving synths, while “Trace” and “Ghost Rocket” feature a more straight indie rock sound. We are diggin' in particular shoegaze/noise number 'UNO' (streaming below) and mathy instrumental "Five-Four." The band recently played a Sofar Sound show and will be performing next at Shea Stadium in support of Banned Books on June 28th.

Tonight at Everybody Hits is the long-awaited release show for Thin Lips’ debut LP Riff Hard, coming out via local tastemakers Lame-O Records. Thin Lips are a venerable supergroup of longstanding Philly stalwarts who have hit a sweet spot of triumphant pop rock and confessional, introspective lyrics without sentimentality. Chrissy Tashjian, formerly of Dangerous Ponies and The Bee Team, captains this ship with her commanding, casual, and versatile vocals. The hard riffs are largely courtesy of longtime bandmate Kyle Pulley (ex-Dangerous Ponies) and Chris Diehm, a punk-rock lifer who cut his teeth in Lancaster’s 1994! before coming to Philly and lending his talents to Thin Lips, as well as Year Of Glad. The band is filled out by Mikey Tashjian (The Superweaks, ex-Dangerous Ponies), who shows his ability to shift rhythms and help craft intriguing songs, while maintaining a not-too-serious rock 'n' roll sheen. Celebrating with the Lips will be Casey Magic, Lame-O labelmates Lowercase Roses, folky psych rockers Pine Barons, and Pure Pop, a “new pop-punk trio comprised of Lame-O, Superweaks, and Modern Baseball angel babies.” Everybody Hits, 529 W. Girard Ave., 8pm, $5-$10, All Ages - Adam G. 

Written in the fallout of a short-lived yet impactful relationship, listen to “Mutual” the latest single from Clique. Steady surges of instrumentation pace the narrative, as the song quickly gains a guttural grip. It’s featured on the band’s forthcoming sophomore album Burden Piece which will be released via Topshelf Records on May 27. A record release show, which also includes Stove, Self Help, and Loose Tooth , will be held at Everybody Hits on June 10. (Photo by Eric Bishop)

People respond differently to tedious daily life—some wallow while others burst out. NYC slack rockers Spit definitely fall into the latter, but do make occasional forays into the former as well. The sound on their 2015 album Dead Broke For Life can be characterized as mostly hard and up-beat, but this isn't to say their instrumentation and vocals aren't carefully crafted. Profoundly passionate lyrics and interesting guitar riffs permeate the record, with an occasional twang that makes their music stand out especially. Spit are definitely a band to look out for, and you'll be able to do so when they play Cake Shop on May 23rd and Palisades on June 1st. - Henry Solotaroff Webber