You’ve certainly seen her name and probably heard her music around town. DC’s own folk songstress Sara Curtin is set to headline a show at DC9 on Saturday, 6/18. She has a lovely, hypnotic voice that’ll certainly entrance you into exploring more of her music. Hailed as one of DC’s finest musicians, she pours out sultry, slow, almost haunting melodies akin to Sharon van Etten. Her latest album, Michigan Lilium, is a masterpiece of smart lyrics and alluring music and was recorded in her very own home studio. Come out and catch this wondrous singer-songwriter’s early show at DC9, 6/18, headlining with Post Sixty-Five and Fellow Creatures. Doors at 6:30, $8. -Jonathan Goodwin 

Our first thought when we heard "Wednesday Night Melody" – the new single by Los Angeles power pop trio Bleached – was: "This song should be on Rock Band!" – which, if you think about it for a minute or two – is a heck of a compliment. The ladies’ new record "Welcome the Worms" showcases an evolution from their early vintage sounding garage-psych-pop, to a more muscular and modern "Alt" sound that, while more produced and punchy, retains the fun of those classic radio friendly punk songs a la’ Joan Jett. Check out this Q&A about guitars pedals with Bleachede’s guitarist Jessie Clavin on Delicious Audio!

Minimalist doesn’t always mean simple, and FAIR WTHR’s music is a textbook example of this. The NYC folk-pop band thrives on instrumental arrangements that don’t take up too much space, giving vocalist Sarah Kang all the room she needs to leave hearts heavy with a voice that’s a little reminiscent of Frankie Cosmos’. At times, though, the instruments take center stage such as on "Mama" where the band shifts dyanmics, gradually building their signature dreamy folk pop into a heavier, electric folk-rock. This band has the ability of writing songs that seem simple during casual listening, but then have a lot to offer after doing a little digging. FAIR WTHR will celebrate their already released EP at the Rockwood Music Hall on July 2nd. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber

With their fuzzy garagey sound and distorted, nasal vocals, The Britanys‘ songs will throw you back to an older, grittier New York City – a place we’ve recently begun to miss. Not the seriously dangerous city of the ’60s, when the rock’n’roll lifestyle implied wavering between life and death, but a more recent and safe Big Apple, when Alphabet City still felt sketchy, the scene’s action was centered around the LES, and Williamsburg was still a rather ugly and cheap neighborhood with potential – those were the late ’90s/early aughts, by the way. It’s no surprise, then, to find that the band worked on their most recent material with Gordon Raphael (producer of The Strokes’ "Is this it?"). Single "Get My" (streaming) channels this modern garage rock style, a mixture of rock ‘n’ roll and pop that has the "Made in NYC" stamp all over it.  The Britany’s will share the stage with Frankie Rose, The So So Glos, and more at Out in the Streets Festival (June 16-17 at the Vander Ende-Onderdonk House in Queens) and are working on releasing a new EP in October.  – Madeleine Grossman

It may be possible to tell the two members of Brooklyn folk-pop band The Perennials are married just by listening to their music. In their debut single "Breadcrumbs" (streaming below) the two allude to woodland fables using vocals that are harmonized so well that one might believe that Pete and Amanda Wells were predestined to sing together. Their tracks’ instrumentation dinamically accompanies this vocal chemistry, bringing together drums, guitar and piano to create an emotionally charged but modern folk rock sound that is reminiscent of the one of their label’s founders, NYC’s band The National. Look out for a debut album later in the year. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber – Photo by Luis Ruiz

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

Boston singer-songwriter Rachel Hael seems to be capable of performing every type of music associated with the super-genre that is Americana. Throughout her repertoire she’s comfortably gone back and forth between upbeat country jams to folk elegies, hitting every stop in between. Just because her music has a large breadth, however, doesn’t mean she sacrifices any emotional depth. On the contrary, Hael posesses the rare quality of being able to inject her vocals with whatever emotional tone the track posesses. Her voice drips sultriness on singles like "Say my Name" and overflows with melancholy on others like "More Like ‘Painsville.’ The simple but tasteful instrumentation and occasional backup vocals give her sound a nice well-rounded fullness. With two EPs to her name, we’re excited to see what Hael and co. could do on a full length, bur for now you can catch her at O’Brien’s Pub on both 7/7 and 7/14. Check out upbeat folk-pop track "So Far No Good," streaming below. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber