February is picking up steam, and there's a lot of awesome music coming down the pipe. There's a bunch of local albums that came out online, and we'll show some of those off to you now, most of which you can get on Bandcamp. After you check those out, join me below to talk about local releases happening this Valentine's Day weekend.

The Gontiks - If You Notice (EP) 
Arrows Inward and Dave Le'Vrai - Product (EP)
Arkeel - Neglect
Bathroom 47 - Floor 13
The Hips - Take One (EP)


Mr DeniZen - Stranger Than The Sky (EP)
Randy Moser - Self . . . ish
TSURUDA - RIP
Like, Listen To (Drew Danburry) - East of the Sun and West of the Moon


As for the release shows, we got four over the next two days, starting in Provo with the latest release from John Allred. It's been a while since we've seen John put out an album, especially after watching him have a string of releases between 2009-2013, his last being Forest Eyes. He has returned with a new concept album, produced by Joshua James, called Seasons. The album has a track for every month of the year with a focus on mortality, showcasing a 24-piece orchestra and new bandmates including Aaron Child, Jordan Adams and Eric Watson. You can snag a copy tonight at Velour as Allred performs with Chris Merritt and Cary Judd opening. Doors open at 8 p.m. and tickets are just $8.


Meanwhile up in SLC, we'll see the latest release from The Last Gatsby. This is a five-piece pop-punk band out of SLC who are a big hit with live shows. Their first album, Hearts and Machines came out in December of 2013 and they've only put out a cover of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" since. The group have been working in secret on a brand new session and are finally releasing their sophomore album, The Art Of Recovery, this weekend. You can grab a copy at their Loading Dock release show as they play with Opaline. Tickets are $10 and the music kicks off at 8 p.m.


Tomorrow night we've got another pair of shows. The first is at Diabolical Records, where we'll see the split 7" release of Magic Mint and Color Animal. You can actually read more about this show in this week's City Weekly, penned by yours truly. Go read that, then go check out the show as both bands play with Strong Words starting at 7 p.m. 


And finally, back down in Provo, we have an album release from YEYƎY. This is the latest project from Ben Shephard, one of the founding members of Uzi & Ari, which he started up after U&E disbanded in 2013. This particular project is very much more psych-pop than alternative, an interesting creative direction that sounds amazing. He'll be releasing his debut album, The Vision, on Portland-based label Hush Records. You can pick up a copy tomorrow night at Muse Music as he performs along with Jay William Henderson and Drape. Tickets are $6 and doors open at 7 p.m.


Love music, head out, buy local.