February 22
Birthday Suits
Slowdown, 729 North 14th St.
9 p.m., $7, theslowdown.com
Minnesota-based duo plays a big, straightforward brand of garage rock that incorporates elements of punk-pop and noise rock that’s hinged on steady snare-drum thwap and the melodic buzz of Hideo Takahashi’s huge guitar riffs. Takahashi favors simple lyrical lines, letting the songs stay short and punchy. The band is releasing a new 7-inch single this year, the first new material from the band since 2010’s album, The Minnesota: Mouth to Mouth. The band’s live show is a hurtling, energetic blast to the eardrums, speaking to the lessons the band has learned from their roots in the basement punk scene.