HOMME

1/14 at 8:30 The rising indie-rock duo composed of prolific bedroom-bootstrap Sima Cunningham and ex–Kids These Days pianist Macie Stewart perform music from their self-titled debut, a stark blend of stormy guitar and delicate two-part harmonies. St. Louis vintage revivalists the Few also play. $10. Constellation, 3111 N. Western. constellation-chicago.com

LINCOLN HALL

1/23 at 9 The Knocks. This New York nu-disco duo (Ben “B-Roc” Ruttner and James “JPatt” Patterson) got their start making beats for the likes of Katy Perry and Ellie Goulding and have since graduated to their own up-tempo remixes of the day’s top 40 hits. $15.
1/24 at 8 Protomartyr. These Detroit punks boast all the tinny reverb of their ’80s surf punk predecessors with none of the sunny aesthetic. The band’s third LP, The Agent Intellect, is no more cheerful (singer Joe Casey lost his father during the writing process), which should make this intimate Lincoln Hall set doubly cathartic. $15.
2424 N. Lincoln. lh-st.com

LOW

1/30 at 8 If the Duluth, Minnesota, slowcore legend’s newest record, Ones and Sixes, sounds the way the dead of winter feels, that’s about right. The decades-active indie rockers retreated to rural Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to record the follow-up to 2013’s Jeff Tweedy–produced The Invisible Way. $20. SPACE, 1245 Chicago, Evanston. ticketweb.com

MAJICAL CLOUDZ

1/18 at 8 After multiple major festival slots and an arena run with Lorde last year, the Montreal synth-pop duo return to the itsy-bitsy rooms that launched them to music-blog fame circa 2012, this time behind sophomore LP Are You Alone? $15. Schubas, 3159 N. Southport. lh-st.com

TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS

1/13–17 The ballooning indie and comedy festival from Schubas and Lincoln Hall mounts its 12th year with performances by snarling sludge-punks Bully and rising indie troubadour Lady Lamb. $12–$100. Various venues. lh-st.com

TORTOISE

1/23 at 6:30 and 9:30 Chicago’s pioneering post-rock weirdos kick off a 32-date tour behind The Catastrophist, their first new record in seven years. $20. Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport. ticketweb.com