I know it’s incredibly early in the year, but I’m going to go ahead and make a bold prediction about the way this year plays out. Braids released an album called “Native Speaker” yesterday, and I promise you it’s going to be near the top of countless best-of lists come December. If you have managed to avoid the hype about this Montreal-based band up to this point, you’re not going to escape it for much longer. And I really don’t know why you’d want to, as this band is absolutely incredible. Raphaelle Standell-Preston has the best new voice in music and this band sounds wholly unique in a time when everyone is trying to jump on the latest blog-worthy trend. Don’t sleep on this album! You can pick it up from Kanine now and make sure to catch them open for Asobi Seksu at Rhythm Room on March 13th. These songs will simply slay live.

MP3: Braids – Same Mum