Three Days Grace, Machine Girl, Ratboys among area concert highlights [Seven in Seven]

Welcome to Seven in Seven, where we look at shows coming to the region over the next week. As always, whether your musical tastes are rock ’n’ roll, jazz, heavy metal, R&B, singer-songwriter or indie, there will always be something to check out. Here are seven of the best on the docket for the week of Feb. 27.

Final Gasp takes the stage on Friday at First Unitarian Church. (Caleb Gowett)

Final Gasp — Friday at First Unitarian Church

Steeped in nocturnal, death-rock adventurism, driven with post-punk anxiety and hardcore punk intensity, Final Gasp’s second studio album, “New Day Symptoms,” places itself within a lineage, summoning powers from rock and roll lore and making them resonate in the here and now. The LP, which drops the day of the First Unitarian Church show, gives voice to fears and frustrations lurking just under the surface of consciousness and turns them into a rallying cry. It further cements the band’s ability to meld opposing forces into something vibrant and new. This time around, combining and going beyond their musical background and musical obsessions took a lot of soul-searching, leading down a path whose destination remains open-ended.

Three Days Grace — Friday at Hard Rock Cafe Atlantic City and Sunday at Giant Center

Following the release of their first album with the return of original singer Adam Gontier — and both he and his replacement Matt Walst on vocals — Three Days Grace are back on the road. Even before the late-August release of the “Alienation” LP, the first two singles reached No. 1 at radio. “Mayday,” the lead single with Gontier and Walst, is a commentary on the chaos of the world, while “Apologies” is an earnest reflection on shortcomings. The immediate chart success of the tracks validated that this new chapter of Three Days Grace is as strong as their first two, and fans were stoked to have both singers lead the band. Regionally, devotees will have two chances to catch the group, with a show Friday in A.C. and Sunday in Hershey.

Peter McPoland — Saturday at The Theatre of Living Arts

Finding a four-leaf clover on a path you’ve walked a hundred times, that’s the feeling Peter McPoland was going for on his fourth full-length, “Big Lucky.” It’s intimate without trying to be, detailed without overreaching, and emotionally direct. More than anything, it sounds like the record he’s been circling all along: raw, unforced, entirely his. Written, produced, engineered, and performed by McPoland himself, “Big Lucky” strips things back to the pure songwriting that first put the Texan by way of Vermont on the map.

Machine Girl — Saturday at Union Transfer

Machine Girl, the New York-based electronic hardcore project helmed by Matt Stephenson, dropped their latest album, “PsychoWarrior: MG Ultra X,” in the fall. As their second album in two years, it’s part of the same arc as 2024’s incredibly successful “MG Ultra,” an album that garnered over 15 million streams and sold 55,000 tickets on the subsequent tour. Whereas “MG Ultra” explored mind control, “PsychoWarrior: MG Ultra X” delves into the collective unconscious.

Ratboys — Tuesday at First Unitarian Church

Born out of fierce friendship and a mutual affection for melody, Chicago’s Ratboys — anchored by the partnership of Julia Steiner and Dave Sagan — aims to write songs that tell stories. The two felt the impulse to make music together from the get-go, first meeting as university students in 2010, and soon released an EP together. They started performing as a folk/emo acoustic two-piece in dorm rooms and backyards and, during the next few years, traveled separately, eventually reunited, and recorded what would become the first Ratboys record, “AOID,” which came out in 2015. Now certified indie rockers, Ratboys have come a long way since then, and earlier this month delivered their sixth LP, “Singin’ to an Empty Chair,” receiving rave reviews across the board.

Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy — Wednesday at Union Transfer

Actor Michael Shannon and musician Jason Narducy have been collaborating for the past dozen years, playing entire albums live by some of their favorite artists such as Neil Young, The Modern Lovers, Bob Dylan, The Smiths, and T. Rex. The past two years, the pair have toured the country performing iconic albums by R.E.M., and last year’s gleefully received run honoring the band’s famed 1985 album “Fables of the Reconstruction” saw the four original members of R.E.M. join Shannon and Narducy onstage at their two shows in Athens, Ga. Obviously, they’re doing something right. Now, again with R.E.M.’s blessing, the two are celebrating the 40th anniversary of R.E.M.’s iconic album, “Lifes Rich Pageant.” The show will see them open with the album, in sequence, followed by deep cuts from R.E.M.’s catalog.

Snooper — next Thursday First Unitarian Church

Over the past few years, punk band Snooper has rocketed from Nashville, Tenn., DIY scene stalwarts to widespread adoration. Between the heightened infectiousness and a more serious tone, their latest album, “Worldwide,” translates the haywire atmosphere the group is known for to a more holistic catharsis. While their 2023 debut “Super Snooper” was mostly an amalgamation of random images, singer Blair Tramel went into the new record trying to write a more cohesive work reflecting her experiences. Showcasing their most adventurous and unshakeable music to date, it’s a portrait of a band truly coming into their own.

Soundcheck

• Final Gasp: “No Hand to Lead”

• Three Days Grace: “Mayday”

• Peter McPoland: “What Do You Do to Me”

• Machine Girl: “Dread Architect”

• Ratboys: “Anywhere”

• R.E.M.: “Fall on Me”

• Snooper: “Pom Pom”