With over 40 bands set to play before the Long Island Indie Rock & Pop Festival is through, you might be more than a little inundated with all the bands there are to see. Well, have no fear because we’ve picked a couple of our favorite groups that we think you should be listening to right now.  

Astronauto seamlessly blends strong soul-bearing folk sensibilities with space-y synths that sound plucked from Jupiter.  The result is dynamic songs that swell and breathe but feel sincerely introspective–edging toward the stratosphere but never truly leaving earth. Listen to their set 8/21 at 89 North.

A New Bug delivers high-energy garage punk with old school vibes. Lackadaisical vocals ooze reserved, New-York cool, but are dotted by flashes of unbridled wildness. The band’s vox are pitted against fuzzy, driving instrumentals that make it near irrestiable to shake something. Mark A New Bug down as your perfect companion for the next time you’re up to no good, and see them play on 8/20 at O’Brien’s. 

It Came From Space is maybe the gateway drug for listeners yet to add math rock tunes to their heavy rotation. The band lays down highly acessible instrumental tracks that unfold in scope right before your ears, and sneak narrative dreamscapes behind your optic nerves. The tracks are consistently sweet sounding, and the band holds solid grooves that never get stuck anywhere for too long. Check out their set 8/22 at Portside.-Olivia Sisinni

Blending catchy synth pop arrangements and sweet vocal harmonies, Retail Space delivers a song ripe for the dog days with "Getting Older." The video, premiering exclusively on The Deli, serves up classic summer vibes and provides the perfect counterpoint to the lyricism, which explores the bittersweet experience of aging. "Getting Older," manages to capture the fleeting nature of not only summer, but the bliss of youth. Despite the weight that the theme may carry, the video manages to explore this in a way that never dwells too long in melancholic territory, and instead provides a postive narrative that lives in the moment and soaks in the sunshine. Watch video premiere below and check out Retail Space’s LP In the Lotia here. – Olivia Sisinni

While the members of Slight have been busy playing in Painted Zeros, LVL UP, and Normal Person, the trio has managed to find the time to drop two EPs and a single in the span of a year. In the fall of 2015 they released their sophomore EP Hate The Summer, which improved on of their 2014 single Run, soaking their catchy power pop melodies in guitar fuzz. In title-track Hate the Summer the band’s fragile vocals, somewhat reminiscent of The Lemonheads, draw memorable pop hooks, while exploding guitars in the choruses channel the raw energy of rock’n’roll. Slight will be playing the Silent Barn on August 21st. – John Honan, photo by Stephanie Griffin

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

Coming at you live from the heart of Long Island, Planet of Sound Promotion presents the Long Island Indie Rock & Pop festival. Featuring 5 days of music and over 40 bands, the fest is set to start tonight 8/18 at O’Brien’s, and will take place at 4 different venues. The music marathon will also be boasting art from local creators, goods from LI vendors, and even henna and face-painting booths! You can check the event here for more information, and in the meantime, be sure to check out some tunes from our favorite bands set to play the festival below. – Olivia Sisinni