White Reaper, Narrow Head, Taipei Houston

“Being home for these last two years, I’ve gotten to play more guitar,” Hunter Thompson admitted to the Chronicle mid-pandemic. Released Jan. 27, White Reaper’s fourth full-length Asking for a Ride unleashes its two guitarists, including the quoted Austinite, who notch another high point in the Kentucky garage fiends’ firmament. “Fog Machine” smokes classic rock through contemporary melodicism, while “Funny Farm” burns at a surf tempo. Instant anthem “Pink Slip” (“hard to believe us when we grow up so slow”) vies for top spot with Weezer-esque closer “Pages.” Houston melodic nü grungers Narrow Head and L.A. duo Taipei Houston support. – Raoul Hernandez