If you met Antonio Cuna, aka Sweater Beats, without a formal introduction, in all likelihood you wouldn’t think he’s one of NYC most successful DJ/Producers. Hailing from the Philippines via Maryland, Antonio belongs to the rare breed of musicians who are so hard working and talented that they don’t need to dress up (or pose) to impress. In the last decade Sweater Beats has been growing incessantly, with Antonio’s music, a contagious mix of dance, synth pop and R’n’B, becoming more and more viral. Notwithstanding the fact that in 2017 he’s been touring incessantly, we managed to ask yhim a few questions about his musical project. – Check out his latest single "Alstar" (streaming below) and read the Q&A here.

To promote our new, uber-fantastic DIY NYC live listings section (check it out, you can post your show for free here – it will then appear also on our NYC homepage 2-3 days before the event’s date!), we are highlighting some of the artist that already used this nifty tool.

God Tiny is a quintet that pulls off blues rock remarkably well – which ain’t easy, because it’s a genre that, due to its limited harmonic palette, can get boring easily. The Brooklyn band, though, in particular in single "Cosmos" is able to create an engaging, tense, and imaginative psychedelic arrangement, enhanced by powerful riffs and gorgously gritty distorted guitars. The vocals deserve a particular mention too, as they soar above the sea of instruments with a tone and flair reminiscent young Robert Plant. If they can pull all of this off live when they play The knit on 05.26, the audience will be in for a treat. Check out track "Revolution Run" streaming below.

If you take issue with new music is that’s too clean and polite, then Butthole is the answer. With a self-titled album that contains a track called “I Went to High School and Graduated” ending in the repetition of “Bitch! Whore! Slut!,” it becomes clear that the band is not scared of pushing boundaries. This is what makes Butthole unique—they’re not one of those indie bands passing themselves off as punk. They’re the real thing, and they know it. Butthole is currently on a brief mid west tour. Check out our favorite song from last year’s "Secret EP," entitled "She Boop She Boo Thang," streaming below. – Lilly Milman

This artist submitted music for coverage here.

The truly insane bands that last more than a few months are often the ones that deliver creatively satisfying records later in their career, when the mayhem of their youthful and disruptive energy gets moderated by a more grown-up search for… a meaning? Brand new single ‘The String Game by Guerrilla Toss (streaming below) seems to suggest precisely this development. The song channels the band’s creativity and innate restlessness in more cerebral ways than they got us used to, which could also be seen as a consequence of their move to brainy NYC (where the band relocated last year from New England). The production here is truly spectacular, with fragments of guitar and synths building an arrangement that’s at once fun and totally unique. The band just released their new LP ‘GT ULTRA‘ – don’t miss the record release party on June 24th at Sunnyvale.