Spacin'

The lo-fi shredding act Birds of Maya, based in Philadelphia, issued a pair of albums—Vol. 1 in 2008 and Ready to Howl in 2010—yet also gave rise to two related groups. Mike Polizze started Purling Hiss, whereas Jason Killinger launched Spacin'. The latter lineup placed Killinger on vocals and guitar, Paul Sukeena on lead guitar, Sean Hamilton on bass, and Killinger’s spouse Eva on drums; it preserved Birds of Maya’s broad indifference to sonic clarity while sharply raising the number of hooks and singalong moments and extending several tracks into expansive, atmospheric passages. Spacin’s debut album, Deep Thuds, appeared in late 2012 on Richie Records, drew widespread critical praise, and even earned a spot on legendary indie rocker Stephen Pastel’s Best of 2012 list.