Harlem
Hippies - Matador
FILTER Grade: 86%

It’s hard to tell what makes some lo-fi slacker rock outfits better than others. It really boils down to a subjective opinion of whether it’s trite and pandering or worthy and authentic. Matador’s newest signees, Harlem, seem to fall into the latter category, at least for the time being. Maybe it’s because they’re on a well-established label, maybe it’s because they’re from a hip college town (Austin), or maybe it’s because their first album was called Free Drugs (cool and hospitable). Whatever the case, this Austin trio sells sweat-fueled garage odes that ring true enough. It also probably helps that the music feels a little more intelligent than the thrashing of some of their contemporaries—branching out with influences as diverse as rockabilly, surf and pop-punk.