Some of us are starting to feel old, hearing genre names like "emo revival". Whatever happened to emo music after those side-bangs days of myspace yore? No matter the year, there will always be kids getting their hearts broken apart and making bold eyeliner decisions, and the music must follow. DC’s two-piece The Obsessives have been pals since childhood, and channeled the final bits of their collective teenage angst into a debut LP entitled "Heck No, Nancy" (a direct quote from Slaughterhouse Five). The LP was written and recorded within their last few weeks of high school and will release this September. They put a single out just a few days ago – "Daisy"- that follows two people from the first time they meet and discuss books and solitude (love-at-first-sight seems to hit peak hour during study hall/detention) to the present where their friendship "has grown into a sad display". This may be their debut LP, but it will be the duo’s fourth musical release within the past three years. The Obsessive’s have got the spunk of The Front Bottoms paired with the proud fetal position perfected by Dashboard Confessional. "Heck No, Nancy" is available now for pre-order via local label Near Mint on vinyl and Bandcamp.

– Leora Mandel

To who it may concern,

New trash punkers, VHS, will fill up yer ever lovin’ head with their particular design of garage snot. A gross amalgamation of; florescent vocals from basement realms, hard biting lyrical solos, noisy anthems floating high above the fray, and steel guitar strings sawing through glass (which has never been quite so euphonious), all wrapped up in the magnetic world of VHS. For reference think early Cribs, Wipers, or the late Jay Reatard (RIP). You still ridin’ homie? …aces! Then stumble your ass down to the Crocodile on the 7th of July and give this now freshly toured squad a what up! They join post-rockers Trans Am and Midday Veil to burn it down. New EP “Chocking on the Fruit” released late last month, HAVE A HEAR.

–Shane O’Gallagher

Between Donald Trump’s gross statements about Mexican immigrants and Puerto Rico’s financial default, these days Hispanics living in the US are in the news for all the wrong reasons. In the meantime, here in the NYC scene, bands such as Empress of, Salt Cathedral and Buscabulla, led by talented musicians born in Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico and other wonderful Spanish speaking regions, are making music the old Trump should probably listen to – at least to correct on the notion that the Spanish speaking countries "don’t send their best people to the US." With members hailing from Colombia and Puerto Rico, Balancer is a rather recent addition to this platoon of Hispanic NYC based artists. Quite interestingly, all of the bands we mentioned here play music that’s imaginatively melodic and… well, yes: dreamy. Whether the dream that inspired them is the American Dream, the musicians’ dream of "making it," the "DREAMers" dream, or a simple musical influence, it’s hard to deny that that very concept seems to be central to the experience of immigrants and artists alike – no wonder it becomes crucial for these immigrant-artists. The new Balancer video we are premiering here for beautiful single ‘Re Minder’ re… minds us that the cacophony outside our heads is truly irrelevant, and happiness is a place we can learn to access at any time. An antidote to the Trump style ubris and ugliness can be found in the ability to open our minds to the therapeutic power of imagination, something children and artists naturally possess. This song and video are about the freedom nobody can take away from us, something the Trumps of the world likely lost for good, and something that doesn’t need guns to be protected. Don’t miss Balancer’s upcoming show at Cameo Gallery on July 9th.

As irresistibly loving as a child’s smile, “Milky Way” (streaming below) by Brooklyn’s Air Waves glints the kind of unabashed joy that seems at the root of pop music.But the warmth of this lead single off the Nicole Schneit-founded band’s forthcoming album ‘Parting Glances’ belies deeper consideration. “Hold me,/Don’t let me go,/Can anyone settle?” Schneit sings over gentle guitars and steady drums, that last word apparently referencing the difficulties of romantic commitment but perhaps hinting at the broader idea of compromise. Such is this songwriter’s intrigue; she enables various meanings on a dime. ‘Parting Glances,’ which was recorded with Woods multi-instrumentalist Jarvis Taveniere and counts among its featured artists Jana Hunter of Lower Dens, is due September 18 via Western Vinyl. You can see Air Waves live at Shea Stadium on July 15. – Zach Weg