Meanwhile, in Athens news, Reptar is poised to release their debut LP Body Faucet on May 1st. The record will be out on Vagrant and is produced by Atlanta’s Ben H. Allen, also known for his work with Animal Collective, Gnarls Barkley, and more recently, Fanfarlo. This is a release I’ve personally anticipated for years, and is the culmination of three years of potential energy buildup unlike anything I’ve seen since I’ve lived in Athens. It’s definitely an exciting time to be an Athenian. For those outside of Athens, by the end of the year, you will be very familiar with these guys if you aren’t already. With a sound that brings together the gritty vocals and percussion of WU LYF with the catchy melodies of MGMT, they’re more than ready for mainstream and critical attention.

However, Reptar is not yet forsaking our small town for the big time, playing Ciné on Record Store Day (4/21), the 40 Watt for the Body Faucet release weekend (5/4), and they will also be headlining a night of AthFest along with Atlas Sound (6/22). Also, in what will go down as probably the coolest thing to happen in Athens this year, Reptar played an impromptu show at the Georgia Theatre back in February. The story is that the house show they were playing got shut down, so they just trekked over to the Georgia Theatre to finish up after Tom Green’s set that night. I wasn’t there (I caught them on New Year’s Eve), but judging by the videos, it was definitely ridiculous–any band with the ability to conjure such a crowd in a town where musical acts are a dime-a-dozen is one worth watching by the world. Look out for Reptar in 2012, for sure.