I savor the moment of finding a band to love. I relish those first singles and EPs, and hearing their live sound take shape on record. And then they release their debut album.

GEMS is that special group for me, a former hometown band about to be discovered by everyone else. These two have had a vision for their breathy, explosive sound and they’re dedicated to it. The dreamy duo of Lindsay Pitts and Clifford John Usher has left D.C. and moved to LA, and I’ve just heard “Living as a Ghost,” the first song from Kill the One You Love, their debut album. It’s the culmination of a process that we in D.C. have watched. They are a twosome meant for each other, with Usher’s guitar and electronic production punctuating Pitts’ soaring, swirly shimmer.

Kill the One You Love will be out Oct. 30 on Carpark Records.

Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.