Ladies and Gents,

We continue our Best of Austin Poll for Emerging Artists with the "Indie Rock/Pop" category, you can see (and vote for) any of the 13 finalist here.

Lots of great talent, check them all out!

The Folks at The Deli

After making a name for themselves with their 2015 debut LP “Heck No, Nancy”, DC two-piece The Obsessives are back with a music video for the song “Surfer Rosa” from their forthcoming self-titled second album.

True to the emo spirit, “Surfer Rosa” focuses on the cathartic expression of disappointments and shortcomings, opening up with the line, “Baby I can’t remember, the last time I pleased you”. But don’t get the wrong impression; far from being focused on doom and gloom, The Obsessives tackle their subject matter playfully.

Here’s “Surfer Rosa” from The Obsessives’ upcoming self-titled album.

-Written by Michael Dranove

Synth pop duo Mmeadows was born from two ribs of avant-folk collective Cuddle Magic (a band we praised several times in this blog). The project at this point in time has only released one original track, digitally, but its quality is noteworthy. ‘Reflector,’ streaming below, introduces us to Kristin Slipp’s crisp soprano, whose jazzy pop melodies draw unexpected lines through Cole Kamen-Green’s electronic production. The sound is organic and polished, but features a dark component that adds an intriguing touch of mystery to this song. The duo also released a cover of Sade’s memorable single ‘No Ordinary Love‘ available for streaming.

Deli Readers,

Every year, in the early months, The Deli polls several local "scenemakers" to ask their opinion about the best emerging Chicago based artists that got them excited in the previous year. We therefore list these artists on our local homepage, in a Readers’ Poll whose results contribute in deciding The Deli Chicago’s Artist of the Year.

In an effort to give you more time to check out all the nominated bands, this year we have decided to stretch the readers’ polls a little, and, instead of posting a huge list of artists all at once, we will activate one genre-related poll every five days or so.

We begin today with bands in the Revival Rock/Pop category! You can find the poll on the top right of our homepage and you can cast your vote here.

We see our yearly polls as a fun way to engage our readers and the artists involved, and we hope they will get both to discover new local bands deserving of attention.

The Folks at The Deli

P.S. To group all artists in these categories we had to "stretch" things a little for a few ones that didn’t precisely fit any of the wide musical umbrellas most other bands belonged to – we hope we can be forgiven for that.

Looking for a last-minute Valentine’s Day date idea? Here you go: Queens-based indie pop duo Imaginary Tricks plays Pianos in the Lower East Side on February 14th. Take a friend (or someone more than a friend) to hear catchy tunes from the group, who’ve opened for Dr. Dog and Jimmy Eat World, among others.

The band — led by Mike Visser — has quite a bit coming up in the weeks following their Pianos show. They head to SXSW in Austin, where they’ll play at Maggie Mae’s on March 16th. Then they’ll release a new record, "Skommel," on March 24th. You can stream a track from the record, titled "Bird", below. – Will Sisskind