Two HHM8 alumni recently released a pair of new EPs, each of which garnered some wider press in the form of reviews on PopMatters. Chicago’s the Wild Finish, which brought their brand of adult-contemporary punk to Old City Hall during the festival’s Friday night showcase, officially released their sophomore, five-song record The Jacket on Oct. 8. Detroit quartet Flint Eastwood played the event’s main music night at the Masonic Temple’s Red Room and released their debut EP, Late Nights in Bolo Ties, on Aug. 6.

Reviews of each album soon followed on PopMatters, self-described as “an international magazine of cultural criticism and analysis.” The publication is based out of Evanston, Ill., and has operated since 1999 and currently has more than 1 million unique readers per month.

To read the review of the Wild Finish’s The Jacket, click here. For Flint Eastwood’s Late Nights in Bolo Ties, click here. Both albums are available for purchase in digital format on iTunes and Amazon.com, with CD copies of The Jacket sold locally at Electric Kitsch, 917 Washington Ave. in downtown Bay City.