Here at The Deli NYC we like bands that don’t think "straight" – maybe because our scene has a tradition for rewarding acts with a unique vision. Friend Roulette definitely doesn’t lack this feature, as testified once again by their new EP "Grown Younger," out today on Goodnight Records. The band plays a rather loud brand of orchestral/synth pop, where the aggressive wall of sound created by drums, horns, guitars and keys is only partially tamed by violinist’s Julia Tepper’s oblique vocal melodies. Check out preview single "I Guess" below, and stream the entire EP here.

TIme for that old time rock n’ roll, just like you used to know. Ok, maybe you’ve never really heard someone create a track like this before, but for Hector’s Pets latest single ‘Tearin’ Up The Pantry,’ the group has taken a cue from classic Woodstock-era band Canned Heat, and given the original country rock track a thorough makeover, remaking the baby boomer anthem as a millenial jam perfect for accompanying that 6-pack you’ve been hiding in your cooler all winter.

For a band made up entirely of… pets (no seriously, the lead singer goes by Wet Pet, the drummer’s name is Teacher’s Pet, and …. ok, you get the idea), this band operates by a simple mission: it’s one thing to be retro, it’s quite another to make it sound new again. For Hector’s Pets, this group is right on time. Check out ‘Tearin’ Up The Pantry’ below, and if you are going to be at SXSW, see here for their schedule. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Just a few weeks ago The Deli’s editors picked Such Hounds as the best Folk/Americana NYC band among the ones that submitted to be considered for participation in our Year End Best of Poll for Emerging Artists. Today they premiered their ne video for single "Their Other Side" on American Songwriter and MTVU also featured it. Check it out below, or see the band live in March, at Glasslands on 03.18 and/or at The Knit on 03.21.

DC’s The Strangest Places is a new project by Chris Howard (with a little help from his friends). The first album, Premature Awakenings, is being released today after a successful Kickstarter campaign. The album is an exploration of mournful, fuzzy, low-fi indie-pop, with a surprisingly wide range of sound and tempo (including a cover of Robert Palmer’s Johnny and Mary). The songs are all meticulously crafted, and no two are put together exactly the same way, with a lot of effort put into the guitar sounds that are the centerpiece of most of the tracks. Check out the video for Could Someone below. –Natan Press

Walk the Plank won our Best of 2013 DC readers’ poll, due to their ability to create a strong following in the DMV scene through an incredible DIY work ethic, and an adventurous take on the hardcore sound. They mix metal and punk in a satisfying onslaught of energy in show after show after show for two years. Hopefully this is just the beginning. In this interview, members of the band discuss what it takes to make it with a DIY mindset in the DMV. You can catch them in DC at DC9 on Tuesday, 3/11, or in Richmond at Strange Matter on Wednesday, 3/12 before they head to Texas for a number of SXSW showcases. –Natan Press

Brooklyn’s All Forces may sound like starry-eyed dreamers on first listen, but beware: one minute you’ll be enjoying a well-placed high-powered rock jam, and the next you’ll find yourself caught in the depths of a moody freak-out. On the band’s debut EP, ‘Sons & Daughters,’ the band have pulled these two sides together for tracks like ‘We Have Arrived,’ one of their most epic, slow-building jams yet. Complete with the band’s all-female rhythm section and singer Johnnie Wang Morlock’s hair-raising vocals keeping things on edge.

All Forces have an urgency about them that instantly remakes all their inner anxieties into high-powered shoe-gazery dance jams, and this record captures these fleeting moods perfectly. It’s an impressive array of influences coming together (from The Cure to Broken Social Scene and… maybe even early R.E.M.?) to create some very bright, and some very dark moments. Keep an ear out for the record dropping on April 8th, and check out ‘We Have Arrived’ below. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)