Flower Girl, whose previous release was our NYC Record of the Month back in November, have already a new record full of catchy, unpretentious indie pop tunes, cleverly titled Tuck In Your Tie-Dye, which conjures up fond memories of Syd Barrett, Beck and early Camper Van Beethoven. The Brooklyn-based group, led by Dave and Henry Van Dusen, have put twelve tracks of head-bopping songs down to kick off 2017, each one of them balancing equal parts of alt-country, psych pop, and indie rock. Recorded in the Catskills, this is another album that makes us reach for the repeat button, while kicking back in a (mental) cabin with our best friends, all of whom are jamming to "I Saw A Mouse", swaying to "Breathmint," and going "Yeehaw!" on cue during the chorus of "2 Late 2 Be A Cowboy" (track #6 below) 

You can celebrate the release of Tuck In Your Tie-Dye with Flower Girl at Sunnyvale tonight (January 6th), along with openers The New Ones, Plains, and Datenight from Nashville. – Will Sisskind

True Blue, like a fair share of alternative artists, doesn’t like to let any information about them transpire through their online profiles (in most cases, this is not due to love for privacy, but rock’n’roll-style lack of caring). This being said, it looks like this act really enjoys living in expensive US cities, since they list San Francisco and NYC as their home (we believe they currently reside in the latter). By the way, we are not sure why we are referring to them in the plural form, since they appear to be a one-woman bedroom project. Maybe because of this picture, which, together with this more electric version of single "Feeling Sad" (original streaming below) seems to imply that a band has been formed. True to their name and song titles, True Blue offers invariably sad and slow songs, sung by a beautifully melancholic female voice. It’s a kind of sadness, though, that’s ineherently (dream-)pop, and, therefore, very enjoyable. You can see them live for free at Baby’s All Right on January 20th.

What we find most intriguing about electronica and dance music is its collaborative promiscuity (which we are sure lends itself to a certain degree of its sexual variety as well, but we have that in many other musical genres already!). DJs and electronic artists are very prone to remix or appear on tracks written by other, likeminded colleagues, so much so that in some cases it becomes very complicated to understand who wrote what and who simply acted as a guest (Soundcloud should really figure out a way to make that more clear). NYC producer abbi press belongs to this scene (check out her Soundcloud playlist called "COLLABS" for more about this), but her own material veers more towards the ambient/chill/downtempo realm, with excursions in more moody and atmospheric territories. Her latest single ‘Wait’ (streaming) showcases her expressive soprano paired with production ability both in the programming and arrangement departments. She’ll be performing live at Shea Stadium on January 28.

Well there are a lot of angry people out there these days, which bodes well for industrial rock, the more radical and abrasive branch of electronic music (for the uninitiated, Nine Inch Nails and Ministry were the genre’s brightest shining stars in the ’90s, but if you want to dig deep into it, you’ll have to look at mitteleuropean bands like Einstürzende Neubauten and The Young Gods, among others).  NYC duo Uniform plays a rather uncompromising version of the genre, with relentless drum machines, uber-fuzzy guitars that flirt with thrash metal, and distorted vocals. They just released "The Killing of America", their second single from their upcoming full-length, ‘Wake In Fright,’ described as "an exploration of self-medication, painted in the colors of war." For those in need to a cathartic, anger-releasing moment, catching this band live at Brooklyn Bazaar on February 9th might just do it.

spookyghostboy may not be all that scary, but there’s certainly an otherworldly quality to his music. The project of Nashville-based Austin Thomas, spookyghostboy’s soft indie rock has a spectral, lingering quality to it–inspiring reflection and, perhaps, the ghosts of the past to float out of the woodwork. With etheral vocals, and unadorned guitar playing, Thomas’s sound is simple, but effective, and commands attention just from its bold earnestness. Listent to spookyghostboy streaming below.-Olivia Sisinni