The Radar tracks new music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This week: Ness Lake, Rik Strange, Schmaltz, Stucchi & The Shepherd, Lantern Lens, N8., and The Missing Cats.

Ness Lake
Normal Speed
Genre: indie rock
Location: Ypsilanti
Notes: Ness Lake will always be Chandler Lach, but the prolific Ypsi artist is also always creating with his talented friends. In the case of Normal Speed, Ness Lake's 15th album, he's working with frequent collaborator Marco Aziel and a fellow educator: "For Normal Speed, Lach combined talents with Marco Aziel [bass] (of Kissyourfriends) and Brandon McDole [drums] of (Great Expectations). The band wrote and self-recorded the entire album at Arbor Preparatory High School in Ypsilanti, MI from 2019-2025 where Lach and McDole were employed as high school English and Chemistry teachers respectively. The drums were recorded in the chemistry lab, while the guitars were primarily tracked in a classroom being used as storage for extra desks, tables, and defunct shop equipment. Lach continues to teach there to this day." Normal Speed is more guitar-forward than some Ness Lake works, which often include electronic elements, and it's one of the best (if not the finest) things Lach has ever done. Passionate, catchy, primal, clever, and a late candidate for one of the best releases to come from Washtenaw County in 2025.
Links: instagram.com/n3sslake

Rik Strange
angelclown EP
Genre: indie pop
Location: Ypsilanti
Notes: Erika Marlisa is the singer-songwriter behind Rik Strange, which just released its strong debut recording, documented by Taylor Greenshields of Fundamental Sound Co. Three members from Ann Arbor's Pajamas help out, too, along with a few other musicians, but the focus is on Marlisa's lovely, jangling songs and unique voice: It's hard to describe, but it's almost as if she's singing from the roof of her mouth and the back of her throat. Marlisa's unconventional vox brought to mind two crooners who may have never been mentioned in the same sentence: Natalie Merchant and Ethel Merman. The angelclown EP is an excellent introduction to an artist to watch.
Links: instagram.com/rikstrange

Schmaltz
The Seltzer Man
Genre: klezmer jazz
Location: Ann Arbor
Notes: A new klezmer-steeped jazz-fusion band with a 10-song debut album, which will be celebrated with a release show at The Ark on January 6. "With deep roots at the University of Michigan, Schmaltz features numerous graduates of the School of Music, Theater & Dance, including bandleader and primary composer Ryan Schildcrout (saxophone), Michael Gerace (trombone), Jacob Warren (bass), and current SMTD protégé Christopher Gerace (trumpet). Rounding out the ensemble, the rhythm section includes Ann Arbor native Jack Harris (drums), and award winning pianist, arranger, and composer Seulah Noh (piano)."
Links: schmaltzklez.com

Stucchi & The Shepherd
The Way Home
The Way Home [Menor's Mix]
Genre: soul, worldly R&B
Location: Ann Arbor
Notes: The Radar is picking up all sorts of great debuts this week—and in the case of this project's album, with two slightly different mixes. Davis Caruso and Giancarlo Robert are Stucchi & The Shepherd, along with vocalist Kyandé. They make stripped-down, acoustic-based soul that borrows from Brazilian music and hip-hop, and the seven songs on The Way Home evoke a minimalist Sade.
Links: stucchiats.bandcamp.com

Lantern Lens
Vapid
Genre: indie rock
Location: Ypsilanti
Notes: In 2018, Sebastian Bluejay wrote a record for the National Solo Album Month challenge under the name Transatlantic Malice. He decided to remake it under his current guise, Lantern Lens, playing every instrument across the nine songs of loose, noisy, bedroom-indie rock.
Links: instagram.com/lantern_lens

N8.
"Gem Echo"
Genre: video game music
Location: Ann Arbor
Notes: This new project's debut song was created only using Teenage Engineering's Pocket Operator PO-20 Arcade device. (While AADL doesn't have the Arcade, you can check out the Rhythm, Sub, and Factory instruments.)
Links: n8music.bandcamp.com

The Missing Cats
TMC @ HSB 11/26/25
Genre: jazz, fusion
Location: Ann Arbor
Notes: This is the second live album recorded this year at hear.say brewing & theater in Ann Arbor by The Missing Cats. The audio is a little distant across these 11 tracks, but the jams are solid.
Links: missingcatsparty.bandcamp.com

Send your music to pulp@aadl.org if you're an artist or label with Washtenaw County associations. Check out more local music coverage here and in the Friday Five archives.