FOXTRAX is waking up the alt rock scene with their tight, nuanced arrangements and excellent songwriting chops. The trio embraces their music's dark undertones but isn't afraid to make light of a rainy day- or in this case, a "Grey Morning." Churning out consistently excellent vocal performances, guitar lines and all around vibes, this band is one of the most solid and compelling that I've heard for a while in the alt-rock genre. Be sure to check them out when FOXTRAX heads to SXSW, playing showcases at the Convention Center on 3/12 and Javelina on 3/14. -Geena Kloeppel

High school buddies turned New York rock trio Foxtrax zinged an electric bolt earlier this week with “Dark Of The Night” (streaming below), a single off their forthcoming debut EP ‘The Cabin.’ With its imagistic title and theme of longing, the track may seem to be something out of a blues songbook but the Long Island-hailing guys’ synth-lined sound is actually a compelling marriage between The Killers’ epic rock and Future Islands’ dark pop. For a band that formed only this year, Foxtrax snakes through genres and plays with a tightness that’s very impressive. Foxtrax will have an EP release show this Friday (8.28) at Mercury Lounge. – Zach Weg