Dog Ears are a duo out of Los Angeles making a sort of poppy, down-the-middle indie rock that feels just right for summertime. The lineup is reminiscent of a black metal band or something, with Joel Murray on drums and vocals and Cory McConnell handling all the rest of the instrumentation. But Dog Ears’ aesthetic has nothing to do with metal at all. It’s more like a half-remembered dream collapsing together several decades’ worth of artful, accessible alt-rock.

McConnell has a Cymbals Eat Guitars album cover for a Twitter avatar, and fans of CEG frontman Joseph D’Agostino’s new band Empty Country will probably find a lot to like about these guys too. They also come recommended for Wild Pink fans, Death Cab listeners, and anyone who has ever blasted Silversun Pickups at full volume. Dog Ears’ new album Blockbuster, released Friday, weaves together bits of shoegaze, synth-streaked heartland rock, and radio-ready alternative rock, among other sounds. The results are softly pretty at their core, but often explosive enough to imagine filling up a big concert hall. Listen below.