Ask any punk around town what the best new act in Boston is right now, and chances are you’ll hear about Palehound. The brainchild of frontwoman Ellen Kempner, the band layers knotty guitar riffs over wry lyrics about shitty friends, loud neighbors, breakups and parrots, to name a few topics. With melodies as inventive as anything Stephen Malkmus has come up with and wordplay as clever as any Speedy Ortiz song, Palehound is an act that, with their debut LP streaming on NPR, has finally arrived.

Listen to the excellent stream of Dry Food below, pre-order the album here, and catch Palehound next time they’re around town, playing with Basement, The Adventures, and LVL UP at the Royale on 8/16.