Pterodactyl

Blending hyperactive rhythms, layered shards of melody, and bulged-vein sonics into one unreliable feedback frappe, Brooklyn-by-way-of-Ohio's Pterodactyl play pop music decidedly in the red. Beginning as a trio (guitarist Joe Kremer, drummer Matt Marlin, and bassist Kurt Beals) in the early '00s and growing to a quartet with Ex-Model Zach Lehrhoff and Jesse Hodges (Beals left following their self-titled debut), the band perfected their approach with intense live shows in underground Brooklyn and releases on Brah records, the label run by Oneida, a band with which they share a spastic, heavily hummable esthetic.