Guitarist/vocalist Alex Luciano and drummer Noah Bowman became acquainted one evening when Bowman’s other band, Earl Boykins, was in mid-set and Luciano stopped the show in search of a lighter. In their hands, the guitar/drum duo concept hews toward the lo-fi Pop/Punk end of the spectrum, stripping everything down to its essence. Luciano’s lyrics are ruminations on new adulthood and its numerous challenges (particularly for musicians); she has a writer’s eye for observational detail and a penchant for graphic wordplay (from “Scene Sick”: “Fuck all your romance/I just wanna dance”), and her guitar strokes are thick yet uncomplicated (she never played electric guitar before Diet Cig), while Bowman has a manic drum style that he can corral or unleash. Diet Cig’s debut EP, Over Easy, dropped earlier this year and a double A-side 7-inch single, “Sleep Talk”/”Dinner Date,” is available on Bandcamp. Altogether, it’s about 15 minutes of music, but we’re confident there’s a full and glorious set waiting in the wings.

YOU’LL DIG IT IF YOU DIG: Tiger Trap time-travels ahead 20 years to warn us about global warming and crappy relationships. (BB)