Milemarker/Canadian Rifle/Relaxer

We didn’t hear much from Chapel Hill-based, synth-punk band Milemarker for a good ten years between 2005 and 2015, but they came back from a long hiatus with a new, different record, Love Conditional. They’re carrying their momentum into 2016 with a new record, Overseas, and a worldwide tour. Their last release, Love Conditional, is a departure from the darker material they released before the hiatus and a serious departure from the experimental sound they embraced when they were just getting started. The title song from the album, “Love Conditional,” sounds like a melody hummed by a robot on a factory assembly line—highly modified vocals, a catchy refrain and their signature synth layering. Their new album promises to be a return to their sounds forged in the early 2000s for the Frigid Forms Sell and Anaesthetic albums. (Kelly)