The Makeup Monsters are one of a handful of barely-legal NW duos whose youngness seems to be just as attention-grabbing as their undeniably brilliant music (the notoriously spastic Herr Jazz are another example). With popular culture more youth-obsessed than ever, promising talents like TMM's Shayne Weeks and Isaac Solverson seem poised for great things - provided they aren't squashed by the weight of peoples' Great Expectations. If the Makeup Monsters haven't conquered the world yet, it's not for lack of trying. They were finalists in 2009's Sound Off! Competition - the annual large-scale Battle of the Bands organized by Seattle's Experience Music Project. Some are still scratching their heads over that sonic scuffle's ultimate outcome; Weeks and Solverson were overlooked in favor of the hip-hop collective Dyno Jamz, despite having material as well-wrought and habit-forming as "Rude Romantique" (from their '09 LP Clint Queen Original Dream). That track's combination of lurching, ska-fried rhythmic leanings, caffeinated tempo changes, Julian Casablancas-indebted vocal delivery, and killer lyrical barbs ("You suck dick while I'm sick in bed") remains virtually impossible to resist.

[Fulcrum Gallery, with Takhoma, Motorbikes, Trevor Dickson, 8 p.m., all ages, $5, 1934 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2280. The Den, with Red Hex, Si Si Si and Colbalt Crane, Thursday, Sept. 2, 8 p.m., all ages, The Den, 1934 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2280]