There's something blatantly captivating about MERCHANDISE, a Tampa post-punk trio who have been building a dedicated cult following in national underground punk circles since they started releasing records in 2008, after years of playing in Florida punk and hardcore bands. Their latest album for Katorga Works, Children of Desire, contains their most brilliant noise pop yet, and "Become What You Are" is a stand-out track, likely to resonate most strongly on a first listen.

This Wednesday, July 13, Denton, Texas's WICCANS bring their fast-but-catchy, melodic-matched-with-abrasive-vocals punk magic to O'Brien's pub in Allston. This Texas band features members of Teenage Cool Kids and Wax Museum, and we can all get amped up by downloading their album, Skullduggery, for free from Katorga Works Records.