Arizona

Arizona:

ROAR

PHOTO: IAN WAJAND

CITY: Phoenix
SONG TO DOWNLOAD: "Just a Fan"
WEBSITE: roarsongs.bandcamp.com

WHY THEM: ROAR's I Can't Handle Change EP is an adrenaline shot of frenetic, ADD pop that perfectly encapsulates the angst of summer romance. It is also one of the better things ever to result from random Internet dredges. The eponymous opening song is captivating even on shitty laptop speakers, with its warm embrace of fuzzy keyboards and lilting, off-kilter slide guitar. It's like the glossy Unicorns record we never got, but recorded by Spinto Band frontman Nick Krill (it was) and injected with slightly more menace and a tad more dejection (it is). Which makes it that much more accessible; it's as much an indie-pop guide to girls as it is a romanticized soundtrack for drinking beers in parks at 3 am. (The record's opening lines: "Hanging out where I don't belong is nothing new to me.") And really, that's all we . . . aw shit, here come the cops.

ALSO CONSIDERED: Knesset — Fitting for the desert plains we expect Arizona to have, the sparkling guitars in "Steady Hands" is the ideal soundtrack for a cross-country van ride while gazing out the window.

Arkansas

Alaska