Flycatcher - Live at Studio 4 (2023) Hi-Res

The New Brunswick, NJ fuzz rock four-piece shares a live set from WXPN Studios before heading out on the road this month. They hail from a quick NJTransit ride north, but their fuzzy guitar tones and knack for impeccable hooks makes Flycatcher feel right at home in Philly.

The four-piece band, formed in New Brunswick and active since the mid 20-teens, draws on pop-punk and alt-rock in their catchy and captivating sound. You’ll hear traces of Hum, Failure, and Smashing Pumpkins — not to mention more contemporary inspirations like Title Fight and Superheaven — in what the band does. It’s a blend that caught the ear of Philly production sage Will Yip, who used his Memory Music label to release Flycatcher’s.

This week, the band — Greg Pease on vocals and guitar, Justin VanNiekerk on guitar, Jack Delle Cava on bass and Connor Carmelengo on drums — paid a visit to WXPN studios for a Key Studio Session that warmed them up for an early fall tour with the Welsh band Casey. Their set opens the foggy minor key dynamism of Stunt‘s single “Sodas In The Freezer,” which works the soft-verse-loud-chorus trick to full effect, then moves into the charging riffage of “Games”; both songs meditate on frayed moments of disconnection from friends and loved ones.