Dunno about you, but I’m driving with the windows down a lot lately — for the gas savings, at least — and I’m always looking for music that’ll complement the experience. The three bands playing The 5 Spot on Thursday have me covered. Topping the bill are The Minks, reconvening for the first time in a bit around rock ’n’ soul frontwoman Nikki Barber, who’s been playing a lot of solo gigs this spring and winter. The group’s most recent single, October’s “Love Me Right,” is a slow, groovy rocker about mutual respect, and it continues on the trajectory of higher fidelity and more experimental sounds they embarked on with their 2023 LP Creatures of Culture. Since the 2024 release of her contemplative stunner of an album Visitor, songsmith Annie Williams has continued to be a part of the scene by contributing to great local records and supporting her pals’ shows. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll hear some new tunes on Thursday. Zach Tittel’s Zook project rounds out the bill. He ended 2025 strong with his YK Records release Evaporating, a collection of thoughtful rocking pop songs whose threads of influence you might trace to artists as divergent as T. Rex and Nick Drake.
9 p.m. at The 5 Spot
1006 Forest Ave.
