The Radar usually tracks new music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels. But for this edition, we've discovered 12 songs by artists who namechecked the county seat in their song titles. Only two of these creators live in the area, but for this Ann Arbor songs edition of The Radar, we've made them all honorary Tree Town-tonians.

This week: 
Max Langlinais, Paul Whetstone, Bats & Mice, Anson Seabra, Gostbustaz, Great American Ghost, The Guy Who Sings Songs About Cities & Towns, Shigeto, Dead Schembechlers, The Get Up Kids, and Cavity.

Know of any songs that mention specific places in Washtenaw County—whether those we missed with Ann Arbor in the title, or perhaps a buried reference to an Ypsilanti location from a noise-rock band that disbanded in 2009? Send your suggestions to pulp@aadl.org.

Max Langlinais
"Ann Arbor" (2025)
Genre: power-pop Americana, indie rock
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Notes: Massively catchy single whose lyrics namecheck a lot of places the Music City singer-songwriter would like to escape to, but only one town made it into the song title.
Links: maxlanglinais.com

Paul Whetstone
"Exodus From Ann Arbor" (2025)
Genre: piano instrumental
Location: Walla Walla, Washington
Notes: Song from the recent album Notes From Ann Arbor to Walla Walla by a former Tree Town fella: "Alas, with teary eyes, the time arrived for saying farewell to you, so I offer this melodramatic homage to your Michigan Theater and the accomplished organists who have graced its stage."
Links: whitman.edu/academics/majors-and-programs/theater-and-dance/faculty-and-staff/paul-whetstone

Anson Seabra 
"Somewhere in Ann Arbor" (2020)
Genre: pop, indie
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Notes: Lovely piano ballad about a dude who lives in A2 but just can't get it together. Seabra apparently made his name by becoming a social-media-streaming sensation in 2020 and 2021.
Links: ansonseabra.com

Gostbustaz
"Banned in Ann Arbor" (2018)
Genre: hip-hop
Location: Ann Arbor
Notes: Kool Ade Kam once told us, "The Gostbustaz is the greatest rap group you’ve never heard about." Sure, he was (or is) a member of the group, but he's not wrong. The beat and riff on this song are like Godzilla stomps, as cheeky lyricism flows from the MCs.
Links: gostbustaz.bandcamp.com

Great American Ghost
"Ann Arbor (Be Safe)" (2017)
Genre: metalcore
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Notes: A break-up song about the singer Ethan Harrison's partner moving to Ann Arbor—we think. Harrison keeps things vague even in the explainer video for the song, which is more about how the band made this rager. But if you're really curious about "Ann Arbor (Be Safe)," Great American Ghost is playing Saint Andrews Hall in Detroit on April 10, 2026, and you can ask Harrison about it.
Links: gag-totc.com

The Guy Who Sings Songs About Cities & Towns
"Ann Arbor Is Great Community" (2015)
Genre: novelty rock
Location: Danvers, Massachusetts
Notes: Michigan native Sufjan Stevens once claimed he was making an album about all 50 states; he managed to make two before seemingly abandoning the project. Maybe it's just not what he was born to do, unlike the musician born as Matt Farley, who not only has written many, many songs that take place in every state, but he gets very specific as to where those tunes take place, such as "Ann Arbor Is Great Community," from the album Michigan, MI USA Terrific Fun!
Links: moternmedia.com

Shigeto
"Ann Arbor Part 1" (2010)
"Ann Arbor Part 2" (2010)
Genre:  electro, techno
Location: Ann Arbor + Detroit
Notes: The opening cut and the eighth track of Ann Arbor native Shigeto's Full Circle album pay homage to a few electronica styles that influenced his jazz-hip-house vibe.
Links: instagram.com/__shigeto

Dead Schembechlers
"Bomb Ann Arbor Now" (2006)
Genre: punk
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Notes: With enmity for Michigan football peeking (again), these Ohio State superfans should probably resurrect the schtick and crank out some more anti-UMich jams. Actually, on December 11, 2025, the band threatened to do just that.
Links: facebook.com/deadschembechlers

Bats & Mice
"Where's Ann Arbor" (2002)
Genre: indie-emo
Location: Richmond, Virginia
Notes: Members of Sleepytime Trio, Denali, Engine Down, and Four Hundred Years have been a part of this act, which seems to be on hiatus for the past 15 years. Another breakup tune where the singer's significant other seems to be splitting to A2.
Links: batsandmice.com

The Get Up Kids
"Anne Arbour" (1999)
Genre: emo, indie rock
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Notes: Sometimes a great song gets relegated to a B-side, and that was the fate for "Anne Arbour," which first appeared on the flipside of the Sub Pop single "Ten Minutes." It has since appeared on various EPs and comps for the long-running Midwest emo kings. Also, it seems to be another song in the lover-escapes-to-A2 genre: "How do I find her? / Bearing my heart in hand / Last winter, Anne Arbour / Was all I had."
Links: thegetupkids.com

Cavity
"Goin' Ann Arbor" (1996)
Genre: sludge metal, grunge
Location: Miami, Florida
Notes: Unclear why a Florida band that formed in 1992 (and seems to be sometimes active even now?) released a two-song 7-inch in 1996 with the opening jam namechecking A2, but let's not think too deeply about it. Instead, let's just bang our collective heads in praise that it exists.
Links: cavityafterdeath.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.