Beer City Hearts, ‘Turn the Radio Up’

Milwaukee's Beer City Hearts are "a rock 'n' roll band with some pretty simple influences." Vocalist and guitarist Spiffy Hearts explains, "We're all really into Johnny Thunders, the Cure, the Only Ones, '70s power-pop, glam and catchy three-minute pop songs."

Like, obviously.

But on 'Turn the Radio Up,' the second single from their first demo, the group's loyalty to the aforementioned tastemakers came across more like a pact with peers -- or a secret handshake -- than it did an homage or case of simply following a template.

"'Turn the Radio Up' is about the raw, awesome zone in your head that you can get to once you drop all the pretenses with someone," Spiffy says. "It's a 'soundtrack to the moment' thing that was inspired by a song by the Runaways called 'I Love Playing With Fire.'"

The raw production on this dive band's debut is honest and charming. Find the guys on Facebook.