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

This edition features hip-hop by Gostbustaz, atmospheric folk by Rabbitology, fuzzy power-pop by Pet TV, outsider folk by Do We Have a Problem?, and live jazz-world fusion by The Missing Cats.

Gostbustaz, Michael Cera EP and "Dune: Part Two"
This Ann Arbor hip-hop group hasn't been very prolific the past few years, but whenever Gostbustaz do resurface, they release absolute bangers—which is no surprise if you've ever listened to 2016's "Banned in Ann Arbor" or seen the video. ALL-TIME BANGER.

"Michael Cera" is Gostbustaz's latest single, and its title namechecks the actor who spent time in Ann Arbor filming the 2009 film Youth in Revolt. "I'm Superbad / Call me Michael Cera" is the hook, but the whole track has an old-school hip-hop sing-song quality that makes every brag-infused sentence feel like a punchline. (The EP features edits, a capellas, etc. of the song.)

In March, Gostbustaz put out "Dune: Part Two," which might be the first song to name-drop the Ann Arbor District Library—except the A2 hip-hop trio calls it the "Public" library. There's also a lot of blue language on the track, so a co-marketing campaign to promote reading sci-fi books is out of the question—plus, the production uses samples from the James Bond theme, so licensing may be an issue, too. But as a standalone track that seems to be about nothing and everything? You guessed it—banger. 

Rabbitology, various demos
Nat Timmerman is a University of Michigan junior whose atmospheric bedroom folk as Rabbitology has caught on with the TikTok and Spotify crowds to such a degree that she signed a deal with the Nettwerk Music Group record label. This despite all of her thus-far-released music having the tag of "demo." She's played Sonic Lunch a couple of times now, and MLive did a feel-good story of the organic rise of Rabbitology. Everything Timmerman has put out so far is lovely and showcases her breathy but rangy pitch-perfect voice. While acoustic guitars and banjos feature on many of the tracks, there are plenty of electronic elements, too, and it will be fun to hear which way things lean once Timmerman records these strong songs in a traditional studio with a producer.

Pet TV, Terrarium
Cody Bass is Pet TV, a one-person project based in Ann Arbor whose new Terrarium album is a buzzy blast of vintage indie rock. The beats are a little bit funky, the guitars are more than a little fuzzy and jangly, and the choruses soar. Not all the songs are streaming yet since Terrarium doesn't officially come out until November 1, but what I've heard has me excited to hear all 10 tunes.

Do We Have a Problem?, All Women's Dance Academy
The only problem I have with this Ann Arbor project is that I don't quite understand it—though confusion may be part of what Do We Have a Problem? is going for on All Women's Dance Academy. The six songs here seem to have their origins on acoustic guitar, but it's not folk; it's more outsider music. The record feels like the work of one person—an artist who doesn't sweat a botched note or out-of-tune singing—and the songs straddle the line between being coherent and racing right off a cliff. It's a fascinating balancing act.

The Missing Cats, Ziggys Cool Down
This 45-minute live recording captures Ann Arbor's The Missing Cats playing its unique mix of jazz fusion and world music, which I've enjoyed on the ensemble's previous studio albums. This sounds like an audience recording—you can hear people chatting throughout—rather than a board mix, so the quality isn't great, but it gives you a better idea of how The Missing Cats stretch out in a concert, allowing the music to unfold more spaciously and freely than on the band's studio records.

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