Local music has remained comfortably hidden for some time now, nestled deep in the recesses of DeKalb’s basement bunkers. A smattering of bands now have poked their noses into the light and have begun testing the waters of the predatory DeKalb scene

“DeKalb Smells!” is the first compilation from local label Scratch and Sniff Records. Eighteen bands from the label have poured over their four-tracks to create a family portrait of the local indie scene.

The compilation opens with a fuzzy offering from Little Headhunter. The burners are then turned up with now disbanded Fusco’s “Gus” crashing through breakers of mercilessly fuzzed guitars.

The compilation goes back and forth between guitar rock titans, casio-driven pop and stuttering electronics. It cannot be said that the album is in any way less than diverse, moving from the ambient flutters of Handmedown Satellites’ “You Were Sleeping” to the wheel and cog drums of Horseparts’ “Breadwinner.”

In the pile of styles and influences on display in this album, a few gems shine through. Shuffleplay and The Mutations’ “Potentialenergy” shines with the rare brilliance of a studio-produced song as it gallivants through synth-driven pop. Window Well’s rougher “Rain on Parade” has marked me with one of the catchiest riffs I’ve heard in a long time as I find myself unable to stop humming, “Why are you going into work/ Let those bastards suffer.”

If you don’t mind some creative punctuation and raw production, “DeKalb Smells!” serves as a vital handbook for the up-and-comers in DeKalb’s indie scene.