Augmenting acoustic pop music with a beat machine isn't revolutionary these days with the likes of artists such as Ellie Goulding propelling the "folk-tronica" genre. However, L.A. band yOya still writes playful songs of chipper guitar riffs boosted by complex rhythms that tug their whimsical lyrics in memorably pleasant directions. Falsetto harmonies from Alex Pfender and Noah Dietterich, who have been friends since their days in Corvallis, Oreg., before studying music together at USC, highlight the solid balance between their folk-rock roots from the past and urban influences from the metropolis they live in now. Their latest album "Nothing to Die" is a collection of intricately textured songs that sometimes recall past material from the Dodos yet also maintain accessible melody for even the biggest Coldplay fan. - Seraphina for Buzzbands LA

Los Angeles band, Tapioca and the Flea bring a refreshing combination of video game synths, psychedelic guitars, pulsating bass lines, and heavy rhythms that'll make you want to dance until your legs fall off. Currently finishing up their EP with producer Lars Stalfors (Cold War Kids, Mars Volta, Surfer Blood), expect to hear their first single early 2013.

Boom Forest is the spiritual wailings of John Paul Roney from automated woods of tomorrow.