We know D.C. Get our free newsletter to stay in the know.
Standout Track: No. 3, “Freddy Freaker,” from Sadie Hawkins, the debut album from Bethesda band The Raised by Wolves. An ideal end-of-summer track, it channels straightforward power-pop, layering synths over bright guitars. But it’s the guitar work of Ben Eskin, 23, that pushes the song into memorable territory. At first, he’s content to sound like The Police (thanks to an Andy Summers–like guitar riff), but the song reaches its crescendo with something more like catchy post-rock.
Musical Motivation: Coming of age, of course. Aren’t all great summer songs about that? “Lyrically, I’d rather not explain too much and let the listeners create their own meaning,” says drummer and vocalist Dusty Durston, also 23. “But it touches on growing up and struggling with the inevitable evolution of friendships.”
The Definite Article: “I wrote a short story in college titled ‘Raised By Wolves’ and, thematically, there’s a kinship between that story and what this band has come to signify,” Durston writes via email. “Adding the ‘The’ to the front was an (arguably ridiculous) attempt to make people look at the name twice and commit it to memory.” The Raised by Wolves is just a studio duo at the moment, but Eskin and Durston hope to assemble a live band so they can start playing local shows this fall.
Listen to “Freddy Freaker” after the jump.