Wed., May 22, Torche

Miami quartet Torche has only released three albums and an EP since forming in 2004, but it has built a sizable and critical grassroots following for its unique sound. The thunderous bottom-end percussion suggests metal, but the catchy overdriven guitar is more indebted to Hüsker Dü than Motörhead. The group's mix of sludgy heaviness and ineffable harmony prompted the description “stoner pop.” That's unfair, given that most of the tracks—despite the billowy distorted guitar-riff plumage—conclude in less than three minutes, though understandable, given Torche's bite-size sense of spaciousness. Few do better at wedding “menacing” and “hummable” than this band did on last year's Harmonicraft. 1417 R Street, www.torchemusic.com.