Chicago

Kate Quinby

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Kate Quinby released her debut album, Tribute to Water, earlier this month. The album is sung in three languages and fifty percent of all album sales go to the Dwon Madiki Partnership (DMP) in Uganda, an organization which Quinby co-founded. Kate recently appear on WBEZ’s Global Notes. She is a talented musician with a compassionate global focus.

You can catch Kate this Saturday, June 29th at Uncommon Ground on Devon.

Portland

Fringe Class EP Release at Backspace 6.28

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What can we say about Fringe Class and their new EP, Fringe Class Forever? One might liken it to a slab of butter, melting atop a mountain of flapjacks. It’s a curious combination of pulsating beats and sounds with silky vocals woven into the rich tapestry of notes. “Flower Pigeons” was first up on the playlist. Your ears will feel like they’re relaxing in a hot tub with a glass of bubbly. The vocals and keyboards are welcoming and easy to listen to and the overall character of the song is simply fun and wonderfully happy. “Tidal Waves” was a track that I particularly enjoyed with its slower and hypnotic pace and the bass line standing like Atlas, holding the song in the beautifully drawn out lulls. The title track, “Fringe Class Forever” is MTV worthy. Simply a well constructed and catchy song; you can hear elements of funk beneath the veneer of the 80’s. The vocals stood out on this song as well, with an almost disco edge giving the song added character. Fringe Class Forever will definitely be added to my “frequently listened” list. Fringe Class will be having an EP release party at Backspace hosted by PopOtter Entertainment this Friday at 9pm. Look ‘em up on Bandcamp, see ‘em live, tell a friend and pass it on. Sharing is caring. – Cory Huennekens

NYC

Brand new Indie Pop from Brooklyn: Half Sister

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Brooklyn pop four-piece Half Sister has just released its debut 6 track self titled EP. From the opening track, ‘Birds With Arms’, front-woman Sarah Aument’s confident and expressive alto takes us back to the catchy melodies of the late 90’s, while a jangly rhythm guitar builds towards a tense, minor-chord-sounding chorus slightly reminiscent of the glorious days of grunge. The underlying groove on tracks like ‘RGB’ betrays a tight and inventive rhythmic section. Our favorite songs, ‘The River’ (streaming below) and RGB, are dream pop gems that could have been in The Sundays’ unforgettable debut album.  While it’s easy to get carried away with genre nostalgia, Half Sister never crosses the line, offering a personal and heartfelt record with several good tracks: whether you hear a little bit of the The Sundays, The Gin Blossoms, or even 80’s Blondie, you’re guaranteed to find a few great summer tunes ready for the beach. – Sam Kogon (@samkogon)

Philadelphia

New Track: “Ghosts of Sun Valley” – The Bailey Hounds

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Take a listen to a new song from The Bailey Hounds called "Ghosts of Sun Valley." It’s a standout track from their latest release All the Blood in the World, and you can purchase the EP HERE. They’ll be celebrating its release on Saturday, July 13 at Johnny Brenda’s with Tin Horses and Ruby The Hatchet.

NYC

Butter the Children signs to Downtown + plays DBA on 06.27

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Formed by ex members of Sweet Bulbs & Night Manager, Butter the Children (previously known as Fluffer) self-released their debut album last year, and recently signed to Downtown Records. The songs from the album sounds a little like a sans-reverb, punkier, lo-fi, less pretentious version of shoegaze music. That genre’s signature noisy guitars and ethereal melodies are intact, but the overall vibe lacks the sonic expansiveness of classic shoegazer albums – which is actually a good thing, considering how formulaic that genre has become. You can see the band live at Death By Audio on June 27 with epic and somewhat cursed-sounding psych rockers from NJ Huge Pupils.

NYC

NYC Artists on the rise: Walking Shapes lands July Pianos residency

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Upbeat indie masterminds, Walking Shapes, are already on their way to the top with their personal, catchy sound and noteworthy production values. Their single “Pusher” (streaming below) showcases an already mature talent. The exotic tempo, heavy bass and out-there execution of the track seems to mimc the likes of Radiohead’s song “15 Step,” with a more personal South American flavor and a less brainy and more "psych" attitude. Based in Brooklyn, the band’s debut LP is due out 7/30 via No Shame. You can catch them at their July residency at Pianos every Monday starting July 1st. – Michael Haskoor (@Tweetskoor)

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

New England

The Novel Ideas Play Great Scott 6-25 with Other Boston Bands

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The Allston-Brighton neighborhood may be known for dirty surf and punk, but there’s the occasional folky breath of fresh air found in groups like The Novel Ideas, who are playing Great Scott tomorrow night with The Ballroom Thieves and T. John Cadrin tomorrow night. The six-piece group, which blends acoustic and pedal steel with the occasional soaring trumpet solo is currently touring the area in support of third album “Home”, recorded entirely in a barn in Jaffrey, NH. Ah, America.

The Novel Ideas are known for punctuating their still-emerging tracks like “Heart of Stone” and “Running Speed” (both from Home) with terrific covers of crowd-pleasers, especially their rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide”. Introspective and lyrically fueled, this group is bound to bust out of Boston any day now, so catch them at an intimate venue while you still can.