Bands that last are often tied by bonds developed during their high school years (or earlier). New York natives Jack and Eliza have been chums since childhood, which explains the genuine warmth of their two-way harmonies. The folk-pop duo’s style is simple: two electric guitars and male/female voices, all blending in the most natural way imaginable. Two singles available on Soundcloud — "Secrets" and "Hold the Line" — went viral earlier this year channeling the relaxed, "beachy" atmosphere of Real Estate in a folkier, sparser approach. Today the band is releasing their debut EP ‘No Wonders,’ featuring those singles plus three more songs – you can find it on Spotify and iTunes, or buy it from their website. The record release party will be hosted at Baby’s All Right on 10.01. The band will be performing at The Deli’s CMJ Rootsy Stage at Rockwood Music Hall on October 22nd.

Every musician should have the sentence "Less Is More" tattooed on a part of their body often visible to their eyes – because unless you aspire to be the new Frank Zappa or Trent Reznor, you want your music to breathe. It’s a concept that  Brooklyn synth-pop duo Kodacrome knows well and practices flawlessly, both from a musical and visual standpoint. New single "The City is Burning" is a beautiful exercise in restraint, that somehow manages to "straighten" a complex 5/4 tempo. Every element in the arrangement is measured and essential: the minimalistic electric piano melody; the slightly vocoded drone of the simple melody; the sober rhythm pattern. The stunning video matches the song’s ascetic atmosphere by showing – in religious black and white – the miracle of water in all its glory, while semi-intelligible lyrics seem to stress the vulnerability of the human condition: "frozen summer/golden handcuffs/you are such a mess." Give this song/video some time, and you’ll be touched.

At the end of 2013 Brooklyn quintet Tiny Hazard caught us off guard with this song and video – so much so that we had to invent a new "Best of" just for the occasion (we don’t do Video of the Month here at The Deli). The band is now releasing a new track (‘Silouhette’ – streaming below) that fully confirms their talent and – dare we say – uniqueness of sound. Presenting themselves as ‘experimental pop’ (we are always suspicious when we hear the word ‘experimental’ – it seems like everybody wants a piece of that pie in Brooklyn) Tiny Hazard offer complex, unpredictable songs that definitely deserve the ‘Avant-‘ appellation, while Alena Spanger’s beautifully contrived melodies keep the overall sound well inside the ‘pop’ territory. This is a band that deserves attention, don’t miss their next live show at Le Poisson Rouge on 09.26 opening for Kneebody and Kimbra.

In her single ‘Townie’ (streaming) – from upcoming debut LP ‘bury me at makeout creek‘ – Brooklyn based pop/rock muse Mitski sings about parties with no return, and her intention not to fulfill her dad’s dreams. She sounds like an early PJ Harvey with a fuller sound: inspired, careless and full of life. The second track available for streaming – ‘first love/late spring‘ – is instead a ballad that catapults us back to the 60s, and those elegant love songs sung by charming crooners, even though the arrangement here could have been created by The Pixies from the ‘Bossanova’ period. These are noteworthy tunes for such a young artist, and they make us look forward to the album release, scheduled for November. In the meantime, don’t miss Mitski live at Baby’s All Right on September 24.