Led by charismatic songwriter Zohra Atash and produced religiously through DIY means by Joshua Strawn, Electro Goth duo Azar Swan recently unveiled this new video for single ‘Over’ (below), and is gearing up for a September West Coast tour. We asked them a few questions about their favorite gear and recording habits here.

 A Giant Dog has one foot in punk, another in indie pop, and two fists in the air.  Their melodies are ferosciously catchy, popping out with a supremely bright energy akin to The Stooges while Sabrina Ellis-Gibb’s vocals come out strong and true.  Not to mention their live shows are full of energy, which is why we’re suggesting you attend their show at Cheer Up Charlies on August 16th.  Stream "Lady Slut," a track from their most recent release, Bone, below.  -Jake Saunders

 Finally. We’ve been waiting a long time for Young Summer to put out another single. After releasing a series of singles, as well as the "Fever Dream" EP Young Summer became a local star, and received tons of attention from national press. "Leave Your Love"  isn’t just another great single, however. It’s the lead single for Young Summer‘s debut album Siren, out August 26th. A full album of electronic pop gems? Sign me up!

I wish it would come out earlier ’cause I want to hear it all now (and isn’t August, like, "old" Summer?) Thank goodness the season doesn’t end until December around here, so I’ll have plenty of time to pop Siren into my car stereo and cruise around Virginia with the wind in my hair and the Sun on my face. At least we have this track to keep us going.   –Natan Press

French Admirals formed in 2013 when "Robert France" (aka Rob Kuczynski) and "The Admiral" (Mike Lashinsky) started what they call a "gentleman troubador" guitar and bass acoustic project. After writing some songs and playing some shows, they added a drummer ("The General"), and went electric. The end result is Closer Than Brothers. Recorded by Peter Larkin (who recently recorded DC favorites Wanted Man, Paperhaus, and Pree) at Lighthouse Recording and Persona Non Grata Studios, the album is a solid collection of sounds from late 90’s guitar-pop, from college-rock and power-pop to alternative country and folk.

French Admirals are debuting the album this Saturday, August 2nd, at Rock and Roll Hotel. They’ll be joined by local acts Exit Vehicles, Kelly Ann Beavers (of Belles and Hunters), and Patrick Frank. Check out the album preview below.

If there’s anything to be said about the bands coming out of Exploding in Sound Records, it’s that they know how to avoid the traps of over-conceptualizing; they say a lot with a little. LVL UP has been an especially fun band to watch rise up.  Having first experienced them at their home college of SUNY Purchase almost a year ago, it was the wonderfully bright energy that they brought that night that put them on my radar.  Their new single, "Soft Power" (from their upcoming full length Hoodwink’d, out in September), has a crystal clear and equally strong message that I interpreted as thus: trust your friends, and don’t fall victim to the fake mother fuckers that are going to make you think they’re interested in what you do, something that everyone in this cut-throat music industry experiences. "There’s nothing wrong with being nice/Unless it’s just a front to get yourself right/And I can tell/So what the hell".  LVL Up is a band that’s going places not because they’ve got some crazy gimmick which we all fall victim to way too often, but because their music has a soul, and something important to say. – Jake Saunders

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

‘New York was there, but what did I care,’ sings lead singer of Free Time, Dion Nania, on ‘Here & There’ from their debut and eponymous album. Apparently, a lot, since he upped sticks from home town Melbourne to the big city in 2011, and brought his jangly strained guitar vibes with him. With a disinterested bounce, Free From Band tell the tales of suburban frustration and misery in a whimsical fashion, and where similar bands Real Estate, Beach Fossils and mates Scott & Charlene’s Wedding vibrate slowly with resurgent intensity. Song titles such as ‘I Lost Again’, ‘World Without Love’ and ‘It Doesn’t Stop’ suggest a pessimistic outlook, but new tracks ‘Guess Work’ and ‘Esoteric Tizz’, the new 7", are delivered with such nervy skittish disillusionment that the songs never sound bleak. Sunny melodies and exasperated lyrics just sound like the reality of being in the world’s greatest city, but on a rainy grey day. Catch them at Baby’s Alright on 7th August. – Francesca Baker

Don’t mistake Ratking for one of your run of the mill hip-hop groups.  They’re a live band, and it’s their performances in and around the underground venues of New York that put them on the map.  Ratking has gathered a significant following in the five boroughs, and despite their lack of typical hip-hop ethics, have proved to be major innovators in the rap game.  Wiki’s incredible agility and aggressive energy is something truly remarkable to witness; combine that with Hak’s contrasting smooth-like-butter flow, and you’ve got an impressive melding of minds.  Add Sporting Life’s eclectic beats into the mix and you’ve got one of the sickest live rap groups in the city right now. On top of all that, they release their music and support their compatriots through their own record label, Letter Racer. They’re playing at SOB’s next Monday (8/04), don’t miss the show.  – Jake Saunders