Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This week features jazzy electro-pop from Kat Steih, melodic death metal by The Biscuit Merchant, hip-hop pop by Evan Starr, a funk-prog mashup by Chirp, and a mega-funk mix by Good Mother.

Kat Steih, Songs from a Faraway Galaxy ... and West Park Vol. 3
The final EP in Ann Arbor singer-songwriter Kat Steih's trilogy is just as quirky and clever as the previous two, featuring four songs of jazz-inflected electro-pop. I believe former Ann Arbor-ite Samn Johnson worked on this EP, as he did the other ones; his new album, First Book for Piano, comes out April 27.

The Biscuit Merchant, Memento Mori
It's not the most metal band name, but the seven songs on The Biscuit Merchant's new album are most definitely filled with horns-held-high headbangers. Ann Arbor's Justin Lawnchair plays everything on Memento Mori, which sounds heavily influenced by melodic death metal. RIYL Soilwork and In Flames. 

Evan Starr, "The Sidelines"
Ann Arbor songwriter Evan Starr writes hip-hop-steeped pop songs that evoke a DIY Justin Bieber, with self-reflective and humorous lyrics. His latest single, "The Sidelines," is built on a ukelele riff. (Is that the TikTok generation's preferred instrument? I'm very old.)

Chirp, "Little Friend" & Live Sam-pler 2021-22 Vol. 1
Ypsilanti's Chirp cranks out so many singles and live albums that I could feature them in this column almost every week. The single "Little Friend" starts as a manic funk jam that morphs into a sludgy prog-rock epic during the bridge and outro.

Good Mother, What The Funk!?
Recorded during MEMCO's Impulse event What the Funk!? at Ann Arbor's Club Above on March 26, this mix finds Good Mother spinning all sorts of boogie-down productions in her debut live set as a DJ. It'll get your Friday funked up right.

Christopher Porter is a library technician and the editor of Pulp.