Like their similarly named buds the Black Tones, Seattle’s Black Ends are poised to transcend local-hero status and bust into national consciousness. It’s only a matter of time. Guitarist/vocalist Nicolle Swims is too much a distinctive force of nature not to make waves in the underground-rock system. Black Ends’ 2019 Sellout EP is anything but. Rather, its four songs carve fabulously weird shapes into your mind, bolstered by Swims’s muted, Chrissie Hynde-esque voice, radically strange guitar tones, and surprise-laden song structures that recall early Throwing Muses. Seattle trio Secret Superpower create charming, off-kilter indie-pop with understated vocals by guitarist Paige and bassist Kira. If you’re into the low-budget, scrappy-yet-dignified rock approach that K Records and Simple Machines propagated in the ’80s and ’90s, you’ll embrace Secret Superpower’s self-described “post wave ice cream pop” songs. by Stranger Writer Dave Segal