SELLER is New Haven’s new favorite grunge pop band, having hit the ground running fast with their debut LP Present & Pretending — a melodic medley of confessional lyrics, scuzzy grunge-influenced harmonies, and surreally pleasant guitar solos. One of many highlights on the seven-track project is “Backwards & Sideways” (streaming below), which matches the lyrical integrity of Moose Blood with the musicality of the jazz-psych-grunge outfit Fleece. The rest of the album follows suit, sometimes even channeling the pop sensibilities of (dare I say?) pop-rockers Neon Trees (see: "Coffee Stains.") Although their next show is in New York (at Brooklyn’s Wayward Social on August 15,) the four-piece is always gigging around Connecticut. They will be back in West Haven to play The Cave on August 28. - Lilly Milman

<a href="http://seller.bandcamp.com/album/present-pretending">Present & Pretending by SELLER</a>