[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT8itwSlFx4]
Where: Portland, Oregon
Why You Need to Listen: After hearing their nostalgia-fueled retro dream pop, the fact that Radiation City is young may come as a surprise. Their charmingly evocative debut, The Hands That Take You, has a polished ’60s-inflected sound that belies their years — or at least implies that they raided their parents’ record collections. Their album and the follow-up EP, Cool Nightmare, are filled with mercurial pop songs and organ-driven melodies that pair perfectly with singer Lizzy Ellison’s elusive voice to create a languid pop sound that is evocative of groups that came before, yet still is very much their own.
For Fans of: Dum Dum Girls, St.Vincent
Essential Track: “Find It Of Use”