Howler

Foreign bands ain't selling the way they used to Japan, a phenomenon dubbed yogaku fugyo (literally, 'Western music recession') in Japanese. Two of the players with the most to lose from this slump – Tower Records and Fuji Rock promoters Smash – have ganged up to address the problem with a concert series called Next Breakers, which launches with a pair of back-to-back gigs this month. Minneapolis quintet Howler, whose just-released debut America Give Up sounds like a slightly surfier take on The Strokes, get the ball rolling at this solo show (billed as 'Next Breakers Vol. 0'), before playing support to The Vaccines at Liquidroom the following evening.