Eight Gigs: Slingshot Dakota

Comparisons of duo Slingshot Dakota to Mates of State are certainly in order; the pair has all the same ingredients as the ’90s indie darlings: loosely stitched, driving keyboards with rock ’n’ roll drumming, male-female vocal harmonies and lots of lovesick lyrics punctuated with earworm melodies. Yet Slingshot Dakota’s version is louder, faster and more unhinged. One fan described it as the “happiest live band in existence.” That might have been true in the early years, but on the newest album, Break, it dives into a more contemplative, slowed-down sound. 3520 Stockton Boulevard, www.facebook.com/slingshotdakota.