Lately, I've been spending too much time thinking about the preponderance of math rock influences in local indie rock. I think I first noticed it during the last batch of Makeup Monster shows. Something changed in the SOTA music scene, and - as near as I can tell - it stems from art school students getting bored with the typical garage pop/slacker rock paradigm that had begun to spread over the culture of house shows and all ages noise-fests. Wow, Laura (comma included) is the latest example of bands mostly delivering the same sort of breezy indie pop while also taking time to inject it with jarring shifts in time signatures and halting uses of stop/start dynamics. In all, it's a handy way to get your band noticed, if you find a way to throw curveballs at listeners who are used to getting lulled by summer songs.

WOW, LAURA, w/ iji, guests, 8 p.m., Half Pint Pizza Pub, 2710 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, cover tba, 253.272.2531