In 2010, founding Ugly Purple Sweater members Rachel Lord and Sam McCormally decided they wanted to make more of a racket, so they persuaded Mike Tasevoli, Rishi Chakrabarty, and Will McKindley-Ward to join the band. On their new album "Conventions," the newly-expanded band marries the staples of the the pop-music form (fist-pumping beats, noisy guitars, and catchy hooks) with peculiar harmonies and oddball song structures. This inclination to pull at musical loose yarn resembles the lyrical content of the album; the ways rely on the conventions of romantic relationships, the moments those conventions fail us, and the realization that we've achieved genuine intimacy by playing the part. Ugly Purple Sweater started as an acoustic duo playing house shows in Washington, DC. In 2009, they toured the west coast with Josh Stacy and release their first album, "You are Alone but You are Not Alone," which features the DC-centric barn-stomper "Jumbo Slice.

"The first noticeable sounds on the new album.. are massive, swirling guitars that magnificently swoop into the background so that Sam McCormally's equally massive voice can take the lead. It's fitting that, considering its content, this melody-driven rock and roll ... sounds like it's shooting for the stars."--DCist

The Downtown Club is a Philly based 3-piece band. Their debut EP is available on Amazon and iTunes. Their sound is made up of delayed female vocals, analog synths, guitar, drums and bass.