Ty Segall

Plenty of bands these days hail from California and boast a heavily reverb-washed brand of surf goth that could just as easily pass for a Beach Boys b-side as a long-lost Ramones cassette demos. This formula worked quite well for bands like Wavves and Best Coast last year, as they dominated the blogosphere with their so-called beach-pop sound.

But despite hailing from San Francisco and possessing a penchant for ’60s pop hooks filtered through lo-fi buzz, Ty Segall is not just another musician trying to cash in on the trendy sound of the day.

The former one-man band has been creating pseudo-psychedelic DIY rock for several years already, playing all of the instruments on his critically acclaimed solo releases, including last year’s Melted, which found its way onto scores of end-of-year best-of lists. Nary a moment of his short, punk-like songs are wasted, with the lo-fi pop aficionado opting to throw hook after fuzzed-up hook directly on top of one another.

With only four proper full-length solo releases, Segall already has critics throwing around superlatives like “the next Jay Reatard“—lofty praise indeed, although those who catch his set at Rubber Gloves this week will definitely understand why it is well-earned.