New Jersey Hipster Approved: Music For Headphones

When listening to Philadelphia-based Music For Headphones, you realize their band name is completely appropriate...They make the kind of music that you don't just listen and rock out to. Instead, you bask in the warmth of the distorted guitar and groove on the looped beats of their song "Doctor" as if you were in your own world.

Stylistically, MFH draws parallels to bands such as Joy Division and Spacemen 3 in the sense that they have a full electronic-based sound paired with bleak and sometimes grating vocals. It sounds like the kind of music that comes from dealing with mania, which is actually the case for lead singer Jonathan Allen. Their music is at its best when in full gear for songs like "REV," but other times you wish the vocals took a softer, more dynamic turn to pair with their melody-driven songs.

Music For Headphones has the ability to create the kind of sound that you listen to in your room, hunched over your desk, with your headphones turned up. But sometimes the songs turn muddy and the vocals and guitar fuzz cause the groove to get lost in distortion and electronic beeps.

This is definitely a band worth checking out! Music For Headphones dates:

• April 10th at The Mill Creek Tavern, Philadelphia, 8 PM
• April 11th at The Fire, Philadelphia, 8 PM

Music For Headphones - Doctor (mp3)
Music For Headphones - REV (mp3)