We’ve been asleep since the year started apparently. Pardon that, but here’s a round-up of things that made us excited in February:

– Purity Ring‘s 2nd LP, Another Eternity, is officially out on Tuesday March 3rd, but it’s already streaming on NPR. Go ahead and file “Flood On The Floor” as the biggest, baddest, boldest and yes I’m saying it….best track I’ve heard in this young year. Mark it down.

– Oakland band Trails And Ways just announced that they’ve signed to Barsuk Records (Death Cab For Cutie, Cymbals Eat Guitars) and will be dropping an album this summer. Get acquainted with 2013’s “Mtn Tune” and add them to your radar.

– Ghostface Killah released Sour Soul, a collaborative project with Canadian jazz trio BADBADNOTGOOD. It’s smooth, dark & jazzy hip-hop with that signature Ghostface bravado. Hear it here and peep my Paste review of the album.

– Brooklyn favorites San Fermin just released “Emily,”the 2nd single off of their upcoming 2nd LP, Jackrabbit. Their sound is maturing nicely and it’s refreshing to see the band maintaining the full talented 8-piece lineup. Jackrabbit is out on April 21st on Downtown Records.

– Chance The Rapper‘s appearance on NY’s The Breakfast Club radio show is probably the most entertaining thing I’ve listened to this month. The 21-year old Chicago MC is bucking every trend to rise to the top of hip-hop on his own terms. He really holds his own with Charlemagne and company. Check it here on hipHopDX.

– Ibeyi dropped their debut album on XL Recordings and like pretty much everything XL touches, it’s solid gold. Listen to the album here and check out my feature on the French-Cuban duo at Paste. 

– Death Cab For Cutie announced a show with Built To Spill at The Greek Theater in Berkeley on July 11th. The Greek is an incredible venue for this show and a digital high-five to whoever decided to pair Death Cab and Built To Spill. That’s just awesome. Get tickets here.

– Beck won the Grammy for Album of The Year and it felt like the right time to revive Guerolito (Guero remixes). My favorite Beck album features remixes from Diplo and El-P to Adrock and Boards of Canada.

– Finally, wanna know what else is coming out of the Everything Ecstatic speakers? Check out our Indian Summer Spotify playlist below. It’s constantly updated so subscribe for updates.