A pillar of the NYC indie pop scene (the group has been active since the late aughts) The City and Horses are back at it again with another absolutely delightful LP called Ruins, and if you’re anything like us–chomping at the bit, unable to wait for the release to officially drop tomorrow–then we have a really killer gift for you: The Deli is streaming Ruins a whole day early. The album is 12 tracks worth of dynamic, wistful, and often quirky indie pop that draws on mastermind Marc Cantone’s commanding lyricism and pop-writing prowess. The City and Horses describes the release as being "about a girl, a boy and his OCD," but there’s so much more going on here, as the band manages to navigate a myriad of topics, feels, and genres–all while remaining infectiously catchy. Seriously, we dare you to not be humming these tracks after the first pass, but the songs are well worth spending the time on multiple listens. Check out Ruins streaming below and check back on their site tomorrow to get your paws on the downloadable version here. – Olivia Sisinni

A gate occupies a liminal space, it’s the difference between here and there, and crossing it (or jumping over it) signifies a kind of transcendence and a breaking with whatever it was on the opposite side of the fence. It makes sense then that this NJ, New Brunswick-based band would adopt the name Gates. With soaring vocals, and precise technical playing that never gets too in the way of itself, the band specializes in shimmery post-rock with a transcendental flair. Their latest LP, Parallel Lives, features 11 tracks of spacey goodness to sink your teeth into, but if you want to check out the live experience, you can catch Gates at the Knitting Factory 6/17, alongside Vasudeva and Head North.– Olivia Sisinni

Brooklyn duo Cat Tatt just released their debut album, Litter, an austere, wall-shaking indie-rock record with a sensitive core. Mem Pahl’s guitar work is varied throughout, with jangly math-rock influenced outros contrasting the fuzzy doom riffs you find in tracks like “In/Different” (streaming below). The song explores the hypocritical and binary way we often treat love and pain. Sarcastically, Mem snarls “Not that kinda pain, or the other kind of pain, but another kind of pain.” Replace “pain” with “love” and you have the tune’s climax. Simple wordplay, but it evokes something at once personal and universal.

Cat Tatt will be playing April 22nd at a “Mini-fest” benefit for Earthday in Bushwick. Proceeds are going to environmental groups Sierra Club and Uprose. – Martin D. Ritchie

The word "music revival" normally implies two sorts of bands: acts that try and recreate authentic facsimiles of history, and others that hold a mirror to the past, drawing inspiration from it while opening fresh dialogues and contributing something new to the conversation. Brooklyn-based Shining Mirrors is the latter kind of band, reflecting their influences in gritty garage and indie rock and yet possessing a sound whose time period is much more difficult to place. The track’s quality pop songwriting is in part reminiscent of the overlooked Scottish genius of the ’80s Lloyd Cole & the Commotions. Check out  below "Everybody is Christ," (a track that ends with a quote of a quote, the Ramones quoting the Rivieras) and see what I mean. – Olivia Sisinni

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