Half bracing post-punk and half tuneful indie-pop, Glasgow's We Were Promised Jetpacks features vocalist/guitarist Adam Thompson, guitarist Michael Palmer, bassist Sean Smith, and drummer Darren Lackie. The group formed while the foursome was still attending an Edinburgh high school, where they won a battle of the bands contest with their very first gig. After graduation, We Were Promised Jetpacks relocated to Glasgow, and their sound matured as well, moving from simple song structures and clean guitars to a more ambitious, anthemic approach. They were also inspired by fellow Glaswegians the Twilight Sad and Frightened Rabbit, and these influences could be heard on the three-song demo the band recorded, which received airplay on BBC, XFM, and Q Radio in the U.K., and KEXP in the States. In 2008, We Were Promised Jetpacks toured as Frightened Rabbit's opening act; that year, they were signed by Fat Cat Records (also home to both Frightened Rabbit and the Twilight Sad).

Formed in the waterfront town of Anacortes, WA, the Lonely Forest center on the talents of vocalist/pianist John Van Deusen. The group came together as a quartet in 2005, when frontman Van Deusen chose to bolster his piano-driven compositions with help from guitarist Tony Ruland, drummer Braydn Krueger, and bassist Eric Sturgeon. The group's spacy sound attracted the ear of Seattle's Jack Endino (who, in 1989, produced Nirvana's Bleach), and the Lonely Forest subsequently entered Endino's studio in 2006 to cut the Regicide EP. Ruland left the band soon after the EP's release, but the remaining bandmates opted not to replace him, choosing instead to let Van Deusen's piano assume a larger role in the group's sound. Retreating to their drummer's garage, the Lonely Forest rehearsed and recorded Nuclear Winter, an indie rock concept album revolving around the themes of apocalypse and space travel.

Bear Hands is a post-punk/experimental/indie rock act hailing from Brooklyn, New York. Forming in 2006, the band consists of Dylan Rau, Ted Feldman, Val Loper and TJ Orscher. The band recently released a 4 song EP called Golden EP. Tracks include Golden, Long and Lean, Sickly Brunette and Bad Blood.