It’s strange how it can sometimes take an eternity to check out a band that’s so nearby. Despite being based just an hour or so South of Indy, it took me until Friday night to catch the foursome known as husband&wife. I feel like kicking myself.

Nearly every one of my musical sweet spots — good hooks and harmonies, interesting melodies, a perfect level of distortion — h&w hits repeatedly. The fact that they’re not huge yet is a travesty. In the meantime, I’m going to make a point of checking them out every chance I get. And if you take anything away from this post, remember my plea to go see them as often as you can.

The band took the Locals Only stage for a rousing 9-song set focused primarily on their 2010 release, Proud Flesh. The In-Store booked show opened with I Have Been Made Huge, immediately establishing the band’s Sunny Day Real Estate/Long Winters/Swervedriver hybrid sound. The crowd was next treated to One Lump or 2, a kick-ass new song. A trio of Proud Flesh songs followed, including the chugging title track and the in-a-perfect-world single, Not Every Bird Can Fly. The band wrapped up the set with another new one and Begone Long One, the first song on Flesh.

I can’t overstate how impressed I was with husband&wife. Trust me, go see them. Surprisingly little of the band is on YouTube, so if you want more of a listen, check out their bandcamp page.

The show opened with a short solo set from NM Kjeldsen. Though my first exposure to his music, I was quickly absorbed into his haunting and weary sound. Laura K Balke took the stage after Kjeldsen and crushed it. I’d enjoyed her performance about a month ago solo at the White Rabbit Cabaret; this time, with a drummer/multi-instrumentalist in tow, her songs had a lot more muscle. Two Ships, in particular, had a lot more urgency. Turn the Key and closer, Not For This, were also stellar. Fans of Kathleen Edwards owe it to themselves to check out Balke’s music.

Another great night of Indy (and Bloomington) music. Were you there?