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THURSDAY

You can’t help but compare the Scottish quintet Dogs Die in Hot Cars to their ’80s forefathers. Singer Craig MacIntosh alone sounds like a scientific blend of XTC’s Andy Partridge, the English Beat’s Dave Wakeling, Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ Kevin Rowland, and Big Country’s Stuart Adamson. The band’s jubilant music—defined by quirky rhythm changes, smart keyboard arrangements, and jangly pop guitars—is also in debt to these groups. But this 20-something crew grew up loving Nirvana and the terminally terrible Red Hot Chili Peppers, not Anglo rockers from the skinny-tie decade. Thank goodness, you won’t hear the influence of either of those ’90s phenoms on DDIHC’s debut, the thoroughly New Wavey and delightful Please Describe Yourself. See DDIHC with two other fine bands—French fop-poppers Phoenix and NYC neoshoegazers Long-View—at 9 p.m. at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $15. (202) 218-6500. (Christopher Porter)