With an ear for Brian Wilson-esque harmony, the irreverently named Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. swirl indie pop, folk, and electronic elements into one breezy package.

Based in Detroit, the duo of Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott came together in 2009. Working out of a basement studio, the pair worked to create a sound that is danceable without sacrificing anything in the songwriting department, merging intricate and airy melodies with solid programmed beats and synth atmospherics. The band garnered some praise for their first release (2010′s Horsepower EP) and their cover of the Beach Boys’ God Only Knows.

Dark Water is taken from their Patterns EP.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. @ Myspace, Twitter, Facebook, Soundcloud
Source: Wikipedia, Allmusic, Stereogum

Gold & Youth (formerly known as The Racoons, and for a second Jakarta) is a band based in Vancouver and Toronto who write songs tinged with nostalgic desire. Their music evokes memories of neo-noir Los Angeles, cinematic haze and midnight solitudes.

The band is comprised of Matthew Lyall, Murray McKenzie, Jeff Mitchelmore and (since the completion of their debut record) Louise Burns, who lends her voice to four of the album’s tracks.

Jewel is taken from their from debut album, Beyond Wilderness, available now.

Gold & Youth @ Twitter, Facebook, Soundcloud
Source: CBC Music

Balthazar are an alternative pop band, with rock, electro and hiphop influences.

The band fronted by Maarten Devoldere is composed of Jinte Deprez, Patricia Vanneste, Simon Casier and Christophe Claeys. They were formed at the end of 2004 in Kortrijk-Belgium and anticipated their first album with gigs all over Europe and a tour in South Africa.

Their debut album Applause was released in Benelux, March 2010, and both the album as well as their live performances were received with much critical acclaim.

Do Not Claim Them Anymore is taken from their new album Rats.

Balthazar @ Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud. Myspace
Source: LastFM

FMLYBND is six member indie-pop electronic band from Isla Vista, California.

The group’s members have a long history with one another, becoming somewhat of a family over time, hence the inspiration for their name – FMLYBND.

Their music, photos and videos (their brand, if you will) all feel like the last decade of youthful musical/cultural exploration, fully realized. They don’t just play music together. They live together, they cook together, they get tattoos together. Their music, as they put it “naturally flows out of our lives together.”

First single Electricity can be downloaded for free on Soundcloud.

FMLYBND @ Facebook, Soundcloud
Source: Rager Onions, Earmilk

Discovered in the wake of the Strokes’ popularity and the subsequent garage rock revival, New York’s art punk trio the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are comprised of singer Karen O, guitarist Nicolas Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase.

O. met Chase at Ohio’s Oberlin College and met Zinner through friends after she transferred to NYU. Zinner and O. formed the band in 2000. Originally, they were a folky duo called Unitard, but they went electric after being inspired by Ohio’s legendary avant punk scene. After the drummer they recruited initially bowed out, Chase joined the lineup.

Mosquito is taken from their same-titled album.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ Facebook, Twitter, Myspace
Source: Allmusic

Not to be confused with the Pond from Portland, Oregon that was on Sub Pop in the ’90s, Australia’s Pond is a group that was conceived by two members of Tame Impala’s touring band, guitarist Nick Albrook and drummer Jay Watson, along with Joseph Orion and Jamie Terry.

Like Tame Impala, Pond experiments with psychedelia in their fuzzy, modern brand of glam pop. After limited editions of 2008′s Psychedelic Mango and 2009′s Corridors of Blissterday went unnoticed, their third studio album, Frond, was released on Hole in the Sky in 2010, and trailing the success of Innerspeaker, the group became a high-profile buzz band. The follow-up, Beard, Wives, Denim, was released in 2012.

Giant Tortoise is taken from Pond’s new album Hobo Rocket, out on August 2.

Pond @ Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud
Source: Allmusic

Holy Ghost! is an American synthpop duo from Brooklyn, New York City, consisting of Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel.

Millhiser and Frankel both grew up on the Upper West Side of New York City and attended elementary school together. They were later part of a hip hop group called Automato. their debut album was produced by James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy of The DFA.

After the release of the album, Automato “kind of fell apart”. However, Millhiser and Frankel kept working on music. Initially it was going to be more hip hop work, but decided to create music with vocals and poppier arrangements. The name Holy Ghost! was selected just before the pressing of their debut single Hold On in November 2007.

Dumb Disco Ideas is the first single from the group’s upcoming album Dynamics.

Holy Ghost! @ Facebook, Twitter
Source: Wikipedia

Originally formed in Newcastle in 2008, Lanterns on the Lake combined dreamy indie rock with layers of texture and celestial melodies that thread around intricate instrumentation.

The six-piece came together after playing in various bands on the local scene and having known each other in various other capacities. Vocalist and guitarist Hazel Wilde was engaged to Paul Gregory (guitars, electronics) and both were in a band with drummer Oliver Ketteringham. Wilde and violinist Sarah Kemp were old school friends, while brothers Brendan (bass) and Adam Sykes (vocals, guitar) completed the interlinked lineup.

Flirting among the folk influences of Neil Young and the post-rock instrumental sounds of Godspeed You Black Emperor! and Low, the band’s sound swirled and unfolded gently into wonderful soundscapes. They released their records with handmade sleeves and organized a series of gigs in obscure places, such as a boat house on the Tyne River and the highest pub in Britain, the Tan Hill Inn, garnering the band a strong following.

Another Tale From Another English Town is taken from their new album due later this year.

Lanterns On The Lake @ Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, Bandcamp
Source: Allmusic

Overseen, produced, and recorded by Caribou’s Brad Weber, Pick a Piper is his collaboration with Angus Fraser, Dan Roberts and guest vocalists such as John Schmersal & Ryan McPhun.

The project combines dance-music structures, a palette evocative of the natural world, and an increasingly heavy focus on electronics and production technique to create a sound poised between the organic and the synthetic.

Cinders and Dust is taken from their debut album, out now.

Pick A Piper @ Facebook, Soundcloud, Twitter, Myspace
Source: Pick A Piper, CBC Music

On An On were formed from the remaining members of Scattered Trees when two of their bandmates announced they would be leaving the group.

Faced with the decision of the future of their music, Nate Eiesland, Alissa Ricci and Ryne Estwing decided to move forward and use the opportunity to try the things they were always too cautious to step away from before in their already-established sound. With the guiding hand of Broken Social Scene producer Dave Newfeld, they recorded an album around lead single Ghosts.

Every Song is taken from debut album Give In.

On and On @ Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter, Bandcamp
Source: Quit Mumbling