The annual whirlwind that is spring break can leave the first day back at school feeling like a splitting headache. Sure, you could mourn the end of that too-short taste of carefree summer, but the best medicine for your spring-break hangover might be a little hair of the fun that bit you. That’s where Dimples come in. The local drum-and-guitar duo write silly home-recorded songs about the very things you might miss most about spring break—staying out late, sleeping in ’til whenever, smoking weed when you wake up. The duo’s sweet, infectious pop punk has been putting smiles on faces wherever they play, and their show at Capitol Hill art space Cairo this Saturday, April 11, is sure to bounce you out of the spring-quarter slump.

Also playing that show is Braidstorm, a new Seattle band with a similar lo-fi vibe. These three Central District ladies use dual drum sets and bass guitar to build a primitive, funky dance-punk sound reminiscent of Delta 5 or the Raincoats. On their debut tape, Chair Dad (available for the first time at tonight's show), shared vocals and drums combine in an ingenious, feet-moving swirl. So cheer up and run down to Cairo this Saturday. It's just what the doctor ordered.

Or, if you prefer your distractions from school more politicized, head to the Vera Project on Thursday, April 9, for folk punks Defiance, Ohio. The band's activist anthems—imagine the acoustic guitar, brutally battered drums, and screaming gang vocals of early Against Me! bolstered by violin and cello—will leave you walking home with bruises on your body and a fire in your heart.

Thurs April 9: Defiance, Ohio; Dichotomy; Your Heart Breaks; Like Claws! at Vera Project, 7:30 pm, $7 ($6 w/club card).

Thurs April 9: Christy & Emily, Alaskas, 1985 at New Crompton, 8 pm, $5.

Fri April 10: What Matters Most, On the Last Day, Keeping Secrets, Monsters Scare You at the Old Fire House, 8 pm, $6.

Fri April 10: Loom; Behold, the Rolling Thunder! at Ground Zero, 8 pm, $5.

Fri April 10: Starfucker at Vera Project, 7:30 pm, $9 ($8 w/club card).

Sat April 11: Dimples, Braidstorm, Fuck You Safari at Cairo, 8 pm, donations.