The staggeringly beautiful stylings of Providence, RI group Arc Iris have been brought to life in their new video for “Kaleidoscope,” a single off of their upcoming album “Moon Salon.” The three piece ensemble, which includes former Low Anthem member Jocie Adams, uses tantalizing vocal melodies, mysterious cello lines, emotionally-charged drum beats, and lush harmonies to create mesmerizing performances, both acoustically and visually. The new video is no exception – it features a blended interaction of dancers, musicians, and light for a psychedelic display, reminiscent of Joanna Newsom, Fleetwood Mac, and Animal Collective. The video takes you on a fantastic journey through their sound, which is unique, compelling, and enchanting. You can catch Arc Iris’ enchanting aura this July at their C’mon Everybody residency in Brooklyn, starting on July 5, and in New Haven, CT on July 21. – Dan Rome

The solo project of (Deli celebrated) Celestial Shore’s Sam Owens, Sam Evian showcases the transformation of a quirky, talented songwriter into a more mature, original artist. Latest single “Sleep Easy” (streaming) features a more linear sound, without giving up the songwriter’s beloved odd tempo changes, which are almost randomly – but very organically – disseminated throughout the song. Sam’s experimental urges, though, don’t distract from the song, a mid tempo ballad venturing into dreamy territories not entirely foreign to the sound of Celestial Shore, although folkier and twangier than anything ever released by the Brooklyn band.  Check out the video here. The track is off debut album, ‘Premium,’ which will be released soon by Saddle Creek Records.

Music fans have different tastes, we all know that, but it’s rare to find somebody who can’t relate to pitch perfect vocal harmonizations. That’s something NYC folk-pop quartet Bailen delivers with flair. The group might have recorded just one song so far ("Something Tells Me," streaming, released at the beginning of the year), but that was enough to open several doors, including the Rockwood Music Hall ones (where they’ll be performing on June 30th) and the… Taipei, Taiwan ones! Yes, the band is scheduled to perform four July shows in the Asian island, supporting local hero Yen-J, before embarking on an East Coast tour that will take them right back to Rockwood Music Hall on August 26th. The video for the single gives us an obvious clue on why Bailen is getting fresh buzz in a scene as crowded as NYC: they are really good performers, and their music is extremely reletable and sincere. Don’t miss the Rockwood show on the 30th!

From the sheer ferocity present on their latest single "Worse For Wear", one would be forgiven for believing that Lawndale band NOYES (pronounced "noise") was pulled straight out of a No Wave-era CBGB gig. From the vocalist’s Thurston Moore sneer to the thickly fuzz-ridden bass, everything about this group is pure hardcore. Each track on the single is a frantic beatdown serving to let out an unbridled rage that is rarely felt in modern punk. The wailing of "I don’t care!" in the title-track is wrought with more self-loathing and apathy than even the most biting Sebadoh piece. Lou Barlow would be proud.

"Worse For Wear" can be listened to on Bandcamp, along with the band’s latest album Relapse. NOYES will bring their scuzzy noise punk to The Smell on July 29th with some New York blood: Lazy Queen and Lady. – Justin Ashby

Gillian‘s frontlady Kym Hawkins’s vocal phrasing revisits the style of 80’s icons Lene Lovitch and Missing Person’s Dale Bozzio as much as modern counterparts Gwen Stefani of No Doubt and Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s. While the joyous pop-funk groove of opening track “Eau to Be” stomps to clever lyrical word play, it’s the ultimate hook “we play our danger game, we found our danger fame, how did we get into this life?” that will stick in your head for days. Their new EP’s “Strange Candy"’s title track “Strange Candy” merges electronic pulses and rock guitar hooks with Hawkins’ deliberate enunciation. Slower track “Sue My Mood” wades into the copyright law debate (an interestingly rare subject for a rock song!) suggesting there should be limits on what can be litigated regarding creative control – check out the video here. “Radio Clock” returns to faster tempos, relying on an angular jazz-funk style with tandem male-female vocals. The song was inspired by the novel Suttree by Cormac McCarthy, as was following track “Windfall,” describing a win win situation with the lyrics “we both got high and we both got laid.” Final track “House Boat” (also inspired by that now must-read book) has Kym singing tragic hero fantasy lyrics like “brave warrior, raise your sword” with a stylized accent and cascading structure reminiscent of Liz Fraser’s work with The Cocteau Twins. The Deli is exclusively streaming Gillian’s new EP below. – Dave Cromwell

Happy Lives – the rather unpredictable indie pop duo who recently relocated from Brooklyn to LA – are back. and this time they’re trying an "alt soul" hat on for size. Having done their own spin on Beck-era "caucasian rap" a year ago," on "Sick Love," the two return with their usual appraoch of stripping down songs to their core and then adding in elements from other genres (synth-pop on this track). The result is a rather convincing song about break-ups that, despite its minimalist arrangements and simple back-up vocals, feels filled to the brim with emotion. With their outright refusal to stick to a consistent genre, it’s honestly hard to tell with these dudes whether they’re taking their craft seriously or simply just trying to have a good time, however, with the consistency of their recent releases it’s easy to keep any skepticism at bay — for now. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber