I guess some musical genres are supposed to be enjoyed in the summer, and the ubiquitous "chill wave" is one of those…
After Woods released their sophomore album in June, it’s now Real Estate‘s turn to give us some new music: the NJ based band just announced that their new album, "Days" will be released in October. To get your chillaxation going they are streaming a track from the new album on their label’s website, here. Don’t miss their show at Celebrate Brooklyn in Prospect Park on July 23.

One difficult feat of good music is its ability to transport listeners into a different and engaging world. Most New Yorkers live in cramped spaces that are often stifling; a reprieve is highly coveted. On Monogold’s debut full length, “The Softest Glow,” the trio guides listeners through multiple musical destinations. The band’s sound lies somewhere in the chaotic and unlikely intersection between Yeasayer, The Antlers and Animal Collective. As a three-piece band, Monogold can support catchy songs that extend beyond confined spaces or genres. Keith Kelly’s falsetto flirtatiously glides through twinkling keys in the album’s starting track, “Ivory Teeth Golden Tusk,” a cherubic welcome to the trio’s sensational, epic voyage through “The Softest Glow.” The energy of the album is raw — almost animalistic — in the sense that the direction of the songs appears to be driven by mood and spontaneity. This speaks of the band’s capability to play together very well, feeding off each other’s strengths and collectively moving as one. The tribalesque, frenetic rhythms feel exotic but ground the different sounds and textures. The album is an impressive debut that feels both foreign and familiar at the same time. Get out of your cramped quarters and witness Monogold’s teleportation skills at Pianos tonight for free! – Nancy Chow

American folk music has long been about a splattering of influences re-arranged. The best of the current crop of songwriters is that they smartly merge the ongoing progression of rock and popular music with rootsy inflections, while claiming no title other than their own. Gabriel Birnbaum’s brainchild Boy Without God is a strong example of this process. The formerly lo-fi centric songwriter proves that he doesn’t need grit to add novelty or cover deficiencies in his recently released album “God Bless The Hunger.” While his adept guitar work draws heavily from the bass-melody sounds present since Maybelle Carter, Birnbaum’s keen sense of layering shifts quickly from strings to horns, from sweet harmonies to avant-garde dissonance. Check out “Boy Without God” on July 31st at The Rock Shop in Brooklyn. – Jason Bertone

‪Seapony’s debut full length, Go With Me, is out now on Hardly Art. This week they play a pair of shows in NYC and also unveiled a brand new video for "Where We Go." ‬

The music of Seapony is refreshing in its simplicity. Most songs on Go With Me use no more than three chords, with an average running time around two-and-a-half minutes. In lieu of a human drummer, the Seattle trio entrusts time-keeping to a vintage gizmo the size of a desktop calculator. The lyrics to "Dreaming," the track that catapulted them into the spotlight, are just six lines long. Like Young Marble Giants and Beat Happening before them, this young three-piece has generated excitement that belies their music’s modest means. And their back story is just as no-nonsense.

Seapony is songwriter Danny Rowland, singer Jen Weidl, and bass player Ian Brewer. Danny and Ian grew up and made music together in Oklahoma. In 2001, they moved to Olympia, WA. In 2004, Danny visited Cincinnati, missed his flight home, and ended up staying in Ohio for four years; he met Jen during his Buckeye State sojourn. After a period of work and study in Lawrence, KS, the happy couple came west in 2010 and were reunited with Ian in Seattle. Seapony was born.