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

This edition features synth-pop by Same Eyes, folk-pop by Maddy Ringo, retrowave by Rosary, video-game music by Mathew A. Jacqmin-Kramer, and black metal by Sumeus and Anteomedroma.

Same Eyes, "Desperate Others" and The Slow Decline
I'm not surprised that Ann Arbor synth-pop princes Same Eyes decided to release a song a month last year rather than just drop a full album. That's not how the algo works anymore; you gotta keep the product flowing and hope that something pleases the computer. Well, the algo took notice of the band's new "Desperate Others" song, and Same Eyes got a bump from TikTok that sent a flock of new listeners their way. Good timing, too, because not only is the new song great, but all those fab 2023 singles have been packaged together for The Slow Decline compilation. The band also made a video for The Slow Decline's "Reframed"—shot at Argo Dam and around the nearby train tracks.

Maddy Ringo, Falcon EP
As I mentioned when writing about her recent song "Kenosha" and 2023 album Wake Up Woman, U-M student Maddy Ringo has a strong voice that is borderline formal because she also sings opera. Musically, she works in a folk-country setting, but the combination of rustic sounds and studied vocals makes for a unique and mature sound—one that belies her youth. This three-song EP cements the Toronto native as an artist to watch.

Rosary, I Gave You All The Answers EP
Sutton Andrews records indie-rock as Twin Girls, but for his electronic music, this Ann Arborite goes by Rosary. I Gave You All the Answers features eight instrumental tracks recorded in 2023 and 2024, with most songs leaning into chilled-out synth-wave vibes. But "Burst," which features a jangly guitar and melodic ax picking sounds like it could easily be turned into a Twin Girls tune.

Mathew A. Jacqmin-Kramer, Bullet Cell (Original Soundtrack) EP
Ann Arbor's Mathew A. Jacqmin-Kramer created these three electronic compositions to soundtrack Bullet Cell, a video game made in 48 hours for the 2023 GMTK Game Jam. The retro-wave-leaning "Lungs" is the only song that ended up in the game, while the music-box-like "Heart" and glitchy "Brain" might only be heard on this EP.

Sumeus and Anteomedroma, split EP
Ypsilanti's Mystic Conquest continues its quest to be the bleakest record label to ever come out of Washtenaw County—and that's a compliment. The label focuses on black metal, a subgenre that wallows in screeching vocals and low-fidelity guitars layered over cardboard-box-sounding drums played at breakneck speeds. The lyrical themes are as bleak as the music.

Anteomedroma is a one-man band by a guy called Nadir, who is also one of the people behind Mystic Conquest. For Anteomedroma's latest split cassette, Nadir joined evil forces with another one-man stand, Sumeus from Finland. They each donated two originals and Sumeus added the fifth track: a cover of "Despondency" by Abyssic Hate, one of the early one-man progenitors of really depressing black metal.

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