Hospitality are a decidedly New York band, but some Pacific Northwest magic has nevertheless made its way in their purposeful, methodical pop. The band recorded its first EP with the help of Anacortes sound mage Karl Blau, and Blau's indirect, sidling way of approaching a song's pop-candy center is echoed in Hospitality's obtusely inventive catchiness. Their self-titled debut full-length, out on Merge, is a wonderful, gangly listen, and the band's live show is taut, tense, and no-frills. You can clearly see those moonlit, full-of-promise New York streets in each of songwriter Amber Papini's songs, which are good enough and universal enough that they could just as easily be similarly hopeful streets in Glasgow or Minneapolis or Rome—or Portland, of course. NED LANNAMANN
Also, read our article on Here We Go Magic.