If we were living in an ’80s movie and the protagonist sees his love interest for the first time it would be as she’s dancing to “Violent Soul” in some dimly lit club, her hair primped to an effortlessly chic voluminous ‘do, neon flourescent lights flickering in the background. With an abundant amount of dark and ambient synths it’s difficult not to find ‘80s new wave as an influence on True Body. The distant, unpolished vocals on Demo ‘16 (streaming below) call to mind British alt rockers White Lies, with a touch of U2, but the spacey keys are reminiscent of Talking Head and DEVO–certainly something that belongs on the soundtrack to some John Hughes film. It’s brooding, yet bubbly, meant to be enjoyed in the late hours of the night when the idea of tomorrow is but a fleeting thought and you’re trying to forget who and where you are.

Accompanying True Body on stage that night is Fat Spirit, whose name does not deceive. Their tracks are perfused with an ecstatic sensation– spastic guitars shimmy throughout the album, swirling to life a sound that recalls a rough around the edges ’60s psych rock guitar riff. The vocals teeter between tender and moving to distant and apathetic, a perfect combination when singing about love, as Fat Spirit does throughout the album, or more specifically the loss of love and disintegrating relationships.

Lose yourself in Fat Spirit and True Body’s music below and make sure to check them out at Strange Matter on August 4. – Adriana S. Ballester

Pavo Pavo is one of those bands that make music lovers happy, without really being a happy band, and notwithstanding those unnecessary mustaches. It’s just the celestial orchestration, the musical bits and pieces flawlessly coming together, we guess. This being sad, we wish they had more recorded songs! Nobody is happy about scarcity of what makes them happy, why do you do this to us, Pavo Pavo? Those of you who share the feeling should see these guys live tomorrow (August 4th) at wonderful new Brooklyn Venue National Sawdust – and yes, they’ll be playing more than the two songs you can find online (also streaming below)!

One of the most powerful assets of art is its ability to transform negative or sad experiences into positive emotions.  A Valley Son does just that in their new, moody Americana and folk rock infused single, “Dark Places,” which tells the story of a mysterious old man full of dark tales – and of his undignified, lonely death ("They found him in his bathroom’s floor…"). The song keeps the band’s promise of “encompassing the dark, poetic lyricism of Bruce Springsteen,” yet they do so with accents that are more Southern and twangy than the ones adopted by The Boss. You can catch A Valley Son at Union Hall on August 13th. – Madeleine Grossman

CVS at Night delivers music for moonlit escapades, and the bleary eyed wonder-ers up past their bedtime. The Brooklyn indie rock quartet’s self-titled EP combines catchy hooks and soft dance-able beats with a warm, lo-fi psych tint that seems to point toward insidious emotions that lie beneath simple words and poppy melodies. The quartet’s debut, self-titled EP is as bewtiching as it is absorbing, so be sure to check out the newly released tracks here (with a promise of more to come!), or listen below. – Olivia Sisinni

Simply put, Gothic Tropic melted faces during the release party for their new single at the Satellite last Friday. Building momentum off openers Green Gerry, Hooops and Terri Terri, the Gothic crew were in unbelievably top-form—I have not been so utterly blown away by a bass player in a long time, thank you for that! I have to say the band packed a much bigger melodic punch than I first anticipated and Cecilia Della Peruti and friends shredded through the night like they shared one mind. Cecilia’s subtle guitar genius really shines when she’s executing frenetic solos that teeter between classic rock and psych.

The band unveiled their new single "How Life Works" in all its refined glory towards the end of their set—a ferociously catchy jam that at first floats sublimely in an aquatic guitar melody, carries the listener through a little doom-and-gloom, and then ultimately allows the sun to rise again with some uplifting catchy chorus work. And the whole thing grooves. In a sort of dark, vaguely mysterious way. Particularly the lumbering, downward walking bass line during the verses. It adds a new shade to the already diverse musical palette that makes up Gothic Tropic’s output thus far. Cecilia and co.’s dark psych-pop continues to mature as their audiences grow and I for one will be on the look out for their next drop: Fast or Feast on October 28th via Old Flame Records. – Andrew Mendoza