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

This week:
Joanna Sterling, Moonmill, Lydia Lato, Tension Splash, Dancers, Rawhide, Hey Look Listen, The Minor Pieces, microplastique, Kid Jay, and Chirp.

Joanna Sterling
"Eradicate Me"
Genre: singer-songwriter, Americana
Location: Ann Arbor
Notes: Powerful protest song for trans rights. Some of the video was filmed at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti.
Links: joannasterlingmusic.com

Moonmill
"One Small Step"
Genre: singer-songwriter
Location: formerly Ann Arbor,  now Brooklyn
Notes: The second single from an upcoming EP by Huron High grads Mary Collins and Kaye Hamada.
Links: linktr.ee/moonmill

Lydia Lato
Summer Vibes
Genre: pop
Location: Ann Arbor
Notes: This pop artist released an EP and some singles a while back on other streaming services, but the music is now on Bandcamp, too. The Summer Vibes EP is a fun listen, with songs about falling in love during the warmer months. The closing track, “Love Is All,” is reminiscent of Britney Spears’ “...Baby One More Time.”
Links: https://linktr.ee/lydialato

Tension Splash
"AB Said" (remastered)
Genre: grunge
Location: Ann Arbor
Notes: The reconstituted band continues to explore and expand its back catalog. "AB Said" is the opening track from Tension Splash's 1993 self-titled debut. The group returned to The Loft studio in Saline, where they recorded the song more than 30 years ago, still working with producer Tim Patalan for a remastered and edited version. "AB Said" is on Bandcamp, but Tension Splash also made a music video for the song.
Links: tensionsplash.com

Dancers
Dancers 1 EP
Genre: indie rock
Location: Ann Arbor
Notes: Dancers describe the band as drone rock, but the music on the duo's debut doesn't conjure the sound of Sunn O))). The five songs on this EP evoke noisy 1990s indie rock with a tinge of grunge—and even a bit of Pink Floyd on the spacey "Look Little Fish."
Links: dancers.neocities.org

Rawhide
"F-U-C-K-Y-O-U"
Genre: punk rock
Location: Ypsilanti, Detroit, Dexter
Notes: The Brit-style anarcho-punk duo formerly known as Girl Fight enlisted vocalist Matty Taylor from the Ypsi metalcore band Loss of Life for the first single from Rawhide's forthcoming album, Suffer the Joy, which comes out on Valentine’s Day 2026.
Links: instagram.com/rawhidegirlfight

Hey Look Listen
Things We Keep to Ourselves
Genre: indie, shoegaze
Location: Ypsilanti
Notes: Hey Look Listen's previous record, Now Is the Time, only came out in September 2025, but Gwen Katherine already has a new album—an instrumental one, too. Even with no singing, Katherine mostly keeps her dreamy, textured tunes within the structured realm of catchy indie rock, which means you could make up and sing your own verses and choruses. The first single is "Exists and On-Ramps."
Links: linktr.ee/heylooklisten

The Minor Pieces
"Bad News"
Genre: Americana
Location: Ann Arbor
Notes: Massively catchy tune, with strong vocals, from this relatively new A2 group.
Links: linktr.ee/theminorpieces

microplastique
Many Roads
Genre: experimental
Location: Chicago, Ann Arbor
Notes: Josh Harlow, Ben Zucker, U-M grad Adam Shead, and U-M Ph.D. student Molly Jones packed their massive range of instruments, from saxophones and toy pianos to pocket trumpets and sleigh bells, on a 15-date U.S. tour last year. The seven songs on microplastique's new album, which touches on free jazz, gamelan, and drone, were recorded during the jaunt, which the band describes as "a document of being on the road together—how rooms, weather, politics, exhaustion, joy, and total unpredictability all shaped the music night to night."
Links: instagram.com/irritable_mystic_records

Kid Jay featuring Big Ru
"Growing Up"
Genre: Hip-hop
Location: Ypsilanti
Notes: Over a chill, jazzy beat, Kid Jay (aka Jason O’Banner) raps about learning from the past on his latest single, which features Detroit’s Rufus “Big Ru” Hester.
Links: instagram.com/officialkidjay

Chirp
"In My Own Way"
Genre: Funk, R&B, prog rock
Location: Ypsilanti
Notes: The Ypsilanti jam band’s new single from its upcoming album, Torque. The song explores identifying and overcoming self-limitations, and features a collaboration with Cory Wong band member Kevin Gastonguay on keys and synth.
Links: chirpband.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.