Finally: A BBQ for the Bay Area music lover

See our weekly show recs + new reviews of a three-track hard techno EP by Agropol and hooky pop rock by SF-to-Sacramento five-piece Rainbow City Park

May 08, 2025

Hi friends :) You’re invited to our BBQ!

It’s been too long since our last sunny summertime party, so join us for a friends-and-family White Crate BBQ on the solstice! Come hang out, enjoy wine by Etteilla, and celebrate your fellow Bay Area artists, creators, curators, and music lovers.

In addition to vinyl sets, we’re super excited to have Mala Greña treating us to live cumbia greñuda y rockera. DM us for address and more info!

— White Crate

PULVERIZING TECHNO

There are two kinds of music in this world: Music that makes you want to turn up the volume… and the rest.

Sitting at home listening to exp+ by Agropol—but before looking at its track titles—I didn’t hesitate for a moment to extremely indulgently reach over to the volume knob and triple the decibel reading. It was a Tuesday afternoon in the city, and so I simply hoped no neighbors were napping. Otherwise they may have been jolted awake to the sinuous synthline and slappy snare raving party hard techno of one of the SF producer’s newest tracks. 140 BPM—crisp, pressurized, pulverizing.

The track name? “Turn It Up.”

— Ronny Kerr

HOOKY, STORMY POP ROCK

Rainbow City Park’s latest EP Fruitless is a collection of hooky pop rock with self-proclaimed influences including Frightened Rabbit, Pinegrove, Turnover, Phoebe Bridgers, Big Thief, Young the Giant, Julia Jacklin, Third Eye Blind, The Shins, and Snail Mail. They wear these influences squarely on their sleeves: hooky and anthemic like Young The Giant, fuzzy like Snail Mail, with intricate guitar heroics like Frightened Rabbit.

But I’m absolutely a sucker for a ballad that swells into a storm, and the final track “Water Under the Bridge” absolutely delivers in this category. Producer Mike Davis (Pool Kids, Lo Moon and Great Grandpa) carves out enough space for all members of Rainbow City Park to shine, with particular emphasis on Dani Judith’s vocals, ranging from confident whispers reminiscent of Phoebe Bridgers to an arena-filling roar.

Catch Rainbow City Park at the 4 Star Theater on Thursday, May 22.

— Ben Einstein

SHOW RECS

Our top show recommendations for the coming week:

[rock] Deerhoof, Marinero, Commode Minstrels Bullface, Muscle Beach, Greyhound — May 8-9 at Rickshaw Stop

[country] Tino Drima, Noelle & the Deserters, Jimmy Touzel (vinyl release) — May 9 at Bottom of the Hill

[latin] La Gran Puchica, Louda y los Bad Hombres — May 9 at Ivy Room

[rock] The Helltones, Alvie and the Breakfast Pigs, The Strange Ones — May 9 at Thee Stork Club

[cumbia] Ritmos Tropicosmos, DJ Sizzle Fantastic — May 9 at the 4 Star Theater

[club] STRAPT ft. bastiengoat, Discnogirl, 40split, Tomu DJ — May 9 at the Knockout

[techno] BRAKET ft. Adra, RMNA (live hardware set), 2dahlia b2b jcore Myca — May 9 at the Stud

[ambient] Soulbeams, XXU, Ahsan, mars kumari, wonja, Piano Rain, Oso Feo — May 10 at DM organizers for location

[rock] Mitch Rocket (EP release), Sadie Alan, Cup Cup — May 10 at the 4 Star Theater

[rock] Buzzed Lightbeer, Grooblen, Rosemother, Mommy Mommy — May 10 at the Starry Plough

[house] FIVE FINGER DISCO ft. Lady Ryan, Charles Hawthorne — May 10 at the White Horse Inn

[alternative] Hot Brother (album release), Animal Prince, Ghost Coach — May 14 at Rickshaw Stop

GET TICKETS TO TOTAL ACCORD!

We’re co-hosting an epic celebration of Bay Area music, showcasing amazing local talent at six awesome shows across four of our favorite venues. Get tickets →

White Crate