Astute followers of the national garage rock scene might already be familiar with Night Beats. Ever since the Seattle trio took eardrums by storm with 2010's sensational "H-Bomb" single, they've maintained critical momentum with their infectious brand of soul-tinged psych-rock. The highlight of their cavernous blues is Danny Lee Blackwell's reverb-drenched vocals, which cut through bass-heavy trances like a molten branding iron. These pained arguments are underscored with a sharpened guitar attack that screams with such a blackened rattle that you can feel the string coils rub over the fretboard from inside your brain.

by Chris Sutton