We are getting mixed information about where Foxygen is currently based – many blogs were saying they are now an LA band, and the line "You’re not in Brooklyn anymore" from one of the band’s latest single seemed to confirm that notion, but from this insightful comment to a recent post it sounds like the band is always on the road but keeps coming back to NYC, Rado in particular (his Facebook’s location is set to Manhattan). The 23 year old California native – lead guitarist and production guru in the band – just announced a solo album on Woodsis – check out the preview track ‘Faces,’ streaming below. Rado a couple of weeks ago also released on Bandcamp some kind of unfinished bedroom pop demo which can be heard in its entirety here.

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

It’s not easy running through three different directions in a song before you’ve even passed the first minute mark, but somehow Your Sister’s Canary pulls it off. Three guys with as much control over their groove as they do with their epic themes, the band’s smooth rock anthems make me think of Local Natives, if Local Natives had jazz chops. Latest record ‘Good and Alone’ takes the band to new heights, and might make you wonder why you’re still able to catch them at smaller venues. Speaking of which, you can see them at The Bitter End on Friday June 21. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

"Uptempo" and "Pop" are by themselves two concepts that – in the business of being an indie band – can take you quite far; but if on top of that you add to the equation also comparisons to The Smiths, then the hype can get out of control. Brooklyn’s Drowners have more than one similarity with Morrisey’s act, and although they will surely feel belittled by such comparison, they should not, because no artists really managed to be The Smiths’ worthy musical heir yet (like, for example, XTC were for The Beatles, Robin Hitchcock for Syd Barrett, and The Strokes for Lou Reed – uhm, maybe…).

The band’s 3 songs debut EP features the remarkable single "Between Us Girls" (streaming below) which immediately throws us back to the days of "Meat is Murder," with the electric guitar alternating between jangly parts and arpeggios, and Welsh frontman Matt Hitt singing semi-melancholically about some girls’ hair length – rather than about how big they are… The edge is slightly punkier, while the songwriting reveals an almost clinical concision (the song clocks in just under 2 minutes, with the first chorus coming in after 26" – A&R allergic to intros will dig that). 

The second song, "You’ve Got it All Wrong," beats a similar musical path, tackling the infinite well of inspiration that (for Brits) is life at the pub, with the difference of a slower bridge, which acts as a breather for the final chorus. Final track "A Shell Across the Tongue" is the punkier of the bunch, but also the one with the least memorable melody.

This is obviously a band with enormous songwriting potential. If they’ll manage to write songs as good as these and integrate their influences in a more mature and personal sound, the world can be theirs. – PDG