In Underage:

Cut Off Your Hands, Thee Emergency

(Vera) It's great for a band to be hometown heroes, but a loyal local fan base can only take you so far. Skuzzy New Zealand indie poppers Cut Off Your Hands are wildly popular in their hometown of Auckland, and they're looking to bring their chilling, haunted house pop to new shores. The band, along with acts like the Ruby Suns and the Brunettes, is only the most recent product of a scene that has been exporting a surprisingly high yield of awesome bands since the 1980s (most notably, recently revived punk unit the Clean). COYH's debut album, You and I, released last year, is an epic batch of dark, tender pop in the vein of labelmates Les SavyFav, only less wacky. The band's show at the Vera Project on June 21 should be a moody good time, the perfect kind of low-key brooding for a muggy Sunday summer night.

In Up & Coming:

KEXP Father's Day Kids' Dance Party: DJ Riz, DJ Kid Hops, Darek Mazzone

(Showbox Sodo) Today the Showbox Sodo throws open its doors at the ungodly hour of noon for a most wonderful reason: the KEXP Father's Day Kids' Dance Party, featuring family friendly DJ sets from KEXP stars DJ Riz, DJ Kid Hops, and Darek Mazzone—along with cupcakes from Cupcake Royale and breakdancing demonstrations by Massive Monkees. Perfect for dads and families and weird shy adults who haven't danced in public for years but might be up for trying in a room packed with happy dancing kids. DAVID SCHMADER

Toy Soldiers, Man Party, the Horde and the Harem, Pillow Army

(Neumos) Man Party's song "Robot Overlords" really should be featured in the new Transformers movie. It'd be perfect! The local electronic band's synthed-out dance track could play while the Decepticons tear shit up: "We are the robots/We will control you... We will soon destroy you all at the time of our choosing." And just as Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox think they've gotten away after the second verse, the chorus could kick in again: "Robots fucking humans fucking robots fucking humans fucking robots..." It'd be a hell of a lot better than whatever shitty Linkin Park song they're currently using, anyway. MEGAN SELING

Candysound, the Ronz, Reservation Cops

(Skylark) Candysound is Burlington, Washington, vocalist and guitarist Teo Crider. Though he's assisted live with a bassist and drummer, he's one of those virtuosos whom other musicians hate: He plays guitar, sings lead, and harmonizes as the backup singer—and all his songs are perfectly beautiful works of art. Candysound's compositions have the tunefulness and raw-skin emotion of an Elliott Smith track, but he's got some surprises up his sleeve: Listen to his cover of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right," and you'll hear a happiness that even Elvis's great, self-satisfied cover of the song couldn't muster. Like Beirut and other one-musician acts, it's in song arranging where Candysound really shines. Let's hope he'll surprise us with some covers tonight. PAUL CONSTANT