Cambrian Explosion, Foxy Lemon, Queen Chief
Recommended
There’s something both primal and revolutionary about Queen Chief’s self-titled debut EP. Twenty-one-year-old frontman Justin Lien’s guitar-forward charge is rooted in both the psychedelic ooze of bands like Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats and the cosmic headspace of a David Lynch-penned ditty. The steady leads that snake through opener “North Dakota Spirit” nod to Lien’s half-Hidatsa Native American, half-Germanic/Nordic heritage and embrace a dynamism that fans of guitar wizards like Hendrix, Mascis, and Homme will enjoy. Queen Chief is an impressive artistic statement and a surprisingly effective slice of hook-heavy riff-rock. RYAN J. PRADO