Above, check out "Cotton Flower," a brand new track from the formidable Future Islands, a group that is no stranger to our neck of the woods. Unfortunately, the guys in FI won't be playing Athens on their massive upcoming tour (though they will be hitting Atlanta's Masquerade on July 18), but for those jonesin' for a fix, this new tune oughtta do.

The other song on the new 7" split (part of the LAMC series) comes courtesy fellow Baltimoreans Ed Schrader's Music Beat. It's called "Beautiful Transvestite," and it's equally wicked.

I've saved the good news for last, friendys: ESMB will be playing Athens very, very soon: next Tuesday, July 17 at Farm 255. New local trio SHADE opens—having witnessed that group's first-ever show this past weekend, I can say with some authority that this one is gonna be a blast.