Hailing from Kansas, most music fans may consider Sam Boatright may be a newcomer to the noise pop scene. The truth is, however, he’s far from a rookie when it comes to being involved in music and writing tracks. He has spent some time as a member of the Lawrence, KA garage rock group Psychic Heat and has been writing songs under the Hush Machine moniker for years.

It has been just recently that Boatright has started to focus on his solo material and share it with the greater public. The songs on his upcoming self-titled album were written in 2013, when he was still in high school. Now 21, he is gearing up to release the first Hush Machine LP, which will be self-titled and released on April 21, 2017 through Jigsaw Records.

Today we are pleased to premiere the single “Batter Up” from Hush Machine. A delectable slab of retro-inspired, peppy indie pop, the three minute track flies by with hook after hook. A pair of dueling guitars trade between jangling chord strumming, blistering solos and mood-setting arpeggios. Boatright has a voice perfectly suited for this kind of guitar pop. Give this new song a listen below:

After leaving his band Psychic Heat to take a stab at seriously developing his own sound as a songwriter, he was quickly noticed. In January he announced that Jigsaw Records, a label based in Seattle, WA would be releasing his self-titled debut album. The record label will be distributing the release both digitally and physically across the globe.

While Boatright has some very clear influences, blending 80s and 90s new wave and college rock, his music is able to avoid derivation of those touchstones while sounding lively, inspired. There are nods to groups like Joy Division and Modern English, though “Batter Up” certainly showcases a peppier take on the seminal sound.