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Hometown Highlights: The Whiffs, Solomon, Mat Shoare + more

This edition of Hometown Highlights feels like the most unique one in several weeks. Listeners can sample new recordings from Kansas City-area artists making jazz, hip-hop, indie rock, and multiple different flavors of punk. Here are eight local tracks that may help warm up this chilly Sunday.

The Whiffs - "She Lies"
The three-headed powerpop machine known as The Whiffs has just released its first two singles. "She Lies" is a Ramones-channeling jam with vocal duties handled by Zach Campbell (Wet Ones, Rooftop Vigilantes). The song is two minutes, but should result in a packed and sweaty dancefloor in half that time. Be sure to check out the band's other single "Baby Tonight" as well.

Solomon - "Break Up Song" (ft. Apollo)
The music of Kansas City rapper Solomon may serve as a breath of fresh air to a number of hip-hop fans in need of a break from all the flexing. An essential cut from his debut mixtape "My First Words," "Break Up Song" is an honest look at the factors that caused Solomon and his girlfriend to part ways. Delivered over a soulful '90s-era beat, Apollo wittily professes his love ("I look at her like fat kids look at cake / But then I love you like white men love steak") and thoughtfully expresses his disappointment in how things ended ("See, what's a star without a galaxy / The reality is I can't stomach the thought of you not having me").

Mat Shoare - "True To You"
The piano and Mat Shoare's warm, soprano vocals are at the center of most songs on "Waking Up Is Hard To Do." The Kansas City singer-songwriter's third full-length album is a demonstration of how to make charming, stripped-down indie rock. Subtle percussion and a cool, laid-back mood make Shoare's oath of loyalty on "True To You" one of the album's brightest moments.

BB Eye - "Buzzsaw Breakfast"
Released as a track on Martin Meyer's most recent mix cassette "Marty's World," "Buzzsaw Breakfast" is the world's first look into BB Eye. Meyer is well known among Midwestern punks for his bands Lumpy & The Dumpers and Cal & The Calories, as well as his work running Lumpy Records. BB Eye is Meyer's latest side project that features Olivia Gibb of Warm Bodies singing and shrieking along to lo-fi punk instrumentals and keyboard pounding. Those following along with Gibb's other exploits may find the effort similar to her other new project with Ian Teeple -- Natural Man & Miss Lady. BB Eye's only performance scheduled so far is at Everything Is Not OK Fest in Oklahoma City this coming March, but hopefully Kansas City will get a taste of the live show sooner than later.

Chris Hazelton's Boogaloo 7 - "Hip Shaker"
Have you ever listened to Booker T. & MG's and liked it at all? If you answered yes, then let me tell you about Chris Hazelton's Boogaloo 7. This Kansas City jazz ensemble recorded their first full-length record -- "Soul Jazz Fridays" -- live at the infamous Green Lady Lounge and "Hip Shaker" (a Leon Spencer Jr. composition) does a fabulous job of kicking it off. Hazelton's organ playing is masterful.

Grand Marquiis - "Blow"
Many songs on Grand Marquiis' new self-titled mixtape feature the rapper rhyming about more unique topics, "Blow" is his successful take on the hip-hop trope of "You should fuck with me, I'm about to get famous." Nearly every rapper in the game has a song similar to this one in topic, but Marquiis' attention to melody and his ear-grabbing flow make "Blow" stand out immediately.

AGENT - "Endless Disposal"
"Endless Disposal" is one of two new songs on AGENT's new EP "Endless Disposal." The title track features enough galloping drums and echoing, nihilistic howling to make any raw punk piss their crust pants. The song is also capped off by one of the most burning solos you'll hear out of the Kansas City metro all year.

Kye Colors - "Shoutout"
Despite lending Donnell a hand by producing a couple of his most recent songs, Kye Colors has avoided releasing too much of his own music lately. On what is likely the first single from his next project "Cashmere" due out in January, the young rapper-producer reminds the city of his instrumental ingenuity and knack for creating a catchy hook. "Shoutout" is just another track in a ever-growing line of Good Colors hits.

Check out past Hometown Highlights updates here.

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