An impressionist of sound, Brooklyn’s Rioux plays a brand of electronica that’s as translucent as a Monet painting. Following his ‘Here Comes Now’ LP last year, Rioux is announcing the release of the ‘Evolver’ EP this spring, a record made between his hometown Detroit and New York City. The record is presented as a life cycle in miniature, exploring metamorphosis and the various states of being in the evolving human experience. Rioux will be playing an intimate premiere of the new material with the live band at Union Pool on 04.08. Stream the EP’s first single "Unfeel", below.

In a musical landscape where electronic pop seem to have become a bedroom hobby that rarely translates live, Brooklyn’s Avan Lava stands out as the exception that confirms the rule. The trio of Ian Pai, Le Chev and TC Milan expands on stage to include several frantic musicians and a noteworthy light show, pulled off in a remarkable DIY fashion. Musically, rather than wooing the old guard of Brooklyn hipsters, the band seem to "pursue" the new wave of party goers that’s been pricing them out of Williamsburg: if you prefer upbeat fun and catchy melodies to moody experimentation, this is the Brooklyn band for you. Avan Lava is releasing their new EP "Make it Real" today and will celebrate it with a show at Bowery Ballroom on April 4th. Check out single "Leave it All Behind," streaming below.

Some people buy some records just because they like their cover art. NYC’s Slap Bracelets‘ debut EP "The Wendigo" might not inspire that kind of impulse, but once you break through the cover art "barrier" (hopefully there’s a good story behind it) you’ll be rewarded with a delicate and beautifully crafted electro-pop single with new wave overtones, and an almost shoegazey development in the second half of the song. The single in question is the EP’s title track, streaming below.

This artist submitted music for coverage here.

Big Thief is Adrianne Lenker’s collaborative songwriting project. Several songs have been posted since her last official release, "a-sides" in 2014. Her music is often sentimental and rarely steps outside conventional folk arrangements, so what is that in there—bold and arresting? She stands apart from many musicians carrying on the folk/bluegrass tradition in that she never gets lazy—all her tracks are different, her songwriting is on point, and her voice can stand perfectly alone as well as melt into anything it touches. She delivers clarity. The vocal harmonies in “a-sides” thaw over spare strumming and tell stories of death by Lake Superior, travels by the Mississippi River, and countless other places impossible not to fall in love with. Her earlier records “b-sides” and “Ours Were The Birds” can’t go without mention as they offer a great catch of Lenker’s even more powerful solitude. Big Thief played a bunch of shows in March and we’re looking forward to hearing more. – Leora Mandel

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

Lost Boy ?’s debut LP due March 31, "Canned," is a collection of old favorites and soon-to-be-hits that marries clever riffs with playful, creative ambition. Sandwiched between “Hollywood’s” relentlessly catchy riffs and “Hemorrhage’s” disaffected vocals (courtesy of Luke Chiarutinni) you’ll find 11 tracks of perfectly unpolished, irreverent pop goodness. Davey Jones’s bedroom project-turned-band scatters doses of seriousness around the record but still manages to approach it all with refreshing levity. Although Jones has upgraded his recording quality infinitely from his earlier recordings, he kept a crafty, lo-fi approach, with delightfully messy leads and chirpy vocals permeating the majority of the record. "Canned" proves that, for Lost Boy ?, not taking themselves seriously is serious business. See them live at Shea Stadium on 04.18 for the record release party. – Michael Sosnick

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