Kaito

This Norwich, England, quartet’s distortion is by turns fuzzy like puppy love and prickly like stubble. Kaito douses noisy guitar pop with exhausting pedal effects. Not surprisingly, they cite Sonic Youth as an influence, but it seeps in through bouncing bass lines for a change. Last year’s You’ve Seen Us… You Must Have Seen Us… (Devil in the Woods) is a wonder of perpetual motion. "Thwipside" is a warm-up, but once Kaito rams "‘Go‚’" like the plunger launching a pinball, the songs pogo, pop and propel of their own accord. Singer-guitarist Nikki Colk hurtles from Björk swoop to Manda Rin squeal, spazzing with the best of them. At this pace, even the quietest moments are riddled with tension. "Good is Good" is a lullaby, albeit the kind a kid might sing to keep her baby sister from falling asleep. Take a deep breath and get ready to hyperventilate.

—M.J. Fine

Sat., March 23, with Lenola and This Radiant Boy, The Khyber, 56 S. Second St., 215-238-5888.