Landowner, a postpunk band from Western Massachusetts, plays Friday at Deep Cuts in Medford. (Photo: Michael Gutierrez)

The icy claw of winter Friday didn’t deter a near sellout crowd at Deep Cuts, the brewpub and venue in downtown Medford. The chief draw of the night was Landowner, a postpunk band out of Western Massachusetts celebrating the release of its new LP “Assumption.”

Here’s a safe assumption: The majority of the crowd in attendance was currently, recently had been or planned in the very near future to be in a band. The shows presented by booker Illegally Blind, which organizes the almost annual Fuzzstival, tend to draw that kind of crowd. A committed, DIY-minded and participatory crowd that has band T-shirts, knit beanies and memorized Cure lyrics to spare.

Speaking of Fuzzstival, all four bands on the bill except Dust Witch had performed at the festival quite recently, making Friday’s record release a reunion of sorts. An opportunity to break bread with compatriots and fellow travelers on the trail of art-rock and experimental noise.

Dust Witch opened with neo-krautrock machinations. Heavy on the acid-washed synth, full of wonder, flaunting a propulsive, driving rhythm that mapped the intersection of flying into the void at the end of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: Space Odyssey” with soundtracks from assorted children’s fantasy epics from the 1980s (think “Labyrinth,” “The NeverEnding Story,” “Time Bandits”).

Posthardcore four-piece Rong plays at Deep Cuts. (Photos: Michael Gutierrez)

The remainder of the evening was devoted to a leaner kind of postpunk, favoring muscular outbursts over sinewy textures. Rong, a posthardcore four-piece, write songs like fists punch holes through walls. The blunderbuss percussive attacks made for a very tired drummer by the end of the set.

Balaclava, sporting its namesake headgear, delivered rapid-fire downstroke bass lines and wiry guitar trills to produce a danceable punk bounce. The five-piece was in constant motion onstage, like a quivering amoeba, communicating the same nervous, fractious energy to the rest of the room.

The headliner’s return to Deep Cuts is the latest in a string of local shows that it’s played in the venue, appearing previously as a supporting act for Neptune in July, FACS in April and Rick Maguire (Pile) in June 2024.

There are plenty of local stages to pick from, but Deep Cuts, which recently won Best Music Venue (under 250 capacity) at the 2025 Boston Music Awards, seems to inspire a particular kind of loyalty among many local acts. Are they handing out free Reubens in the green room?