Lamont Thomas has always been an active musician in both the Cleveland rock scene and the larger, Midwestern circuit. His credits include work the Bassholes, Puffy Areolas, and This Moment in Black History. Lately, however, he’s spent much more time on his own noise rock/garage rock project, Obnox. In the past year, he’s already released a full-length on Smog Veil, and singles on 12XU and Negative Guest List, and should you visit Obnox on Soundcloud you’ll find he’s got much more in store, including today’s featured track, “A Ragin’ in the Sun,” a number which may be his strongest pop statement to date.

With Obnox, pop is a relative term, of course.  The surf rock guitars are flattened like the hot asphalt of Cleveland’s orange barrel season, and his formal, dramatic vocal delivery, is sure to make long time Cleveland rockers draw comparisons to Pere Ubu and other members of the city’s post-punk past.  And yet, it’s those exact elements, along with that boombox in the corner of the garage recording style, which make “A Ragin’ in the Sun,” such a Cleveland summer song, for like the city itself, grime and shine abound in equal measures.     (H/T EA Sotelo)