While their debut LP was released less than a year ago, Solilians have actually been producing music for quite some time. Emerging in 2001 as So L’il, the band experimented with their sound for almost a full decade through their 2012 compilation, "Best of the First Decade." After their second record, the band reformed as Solilians, this time steering away from the pop inclination of their first incarnation. In their latest effort, 2016’s "Shin," shimmering electronic soundscapes echo through with hazy, dense vocals. The eight-minute "Lamedvavniks" takes listeners on a cosmic voyage through the different textures that set the tone for the expanded sound, only to explode in an electric groove in the last minute of the track. Solilians will be performing along with special guests The Stargazer Lillies, Landing and Guiding Light at Trans-Pecos, in Queens for a night of Beautiful Psych, next Saturday, May 25th.
Ticket Giveaway: Future Islands at The Fillmore Next Monday
If you don’t already have rad Memorial Day plans, then we have you covered. You can join us and 4AD’s Future Islands next Monday, May 29 at The Fillmore for a night of synth-filled, blissful dancing. To enter for a chance to win a pair of tix, just send an email to thedelimagazinephiladelphia@gmail.com with the subject line "The Far Field". Please also include your cell number in the body of the message (in case of an emergency). Good luck!
Cameo: More than just a free monthly party in Los Angeles
Through the enduring chatter of collective club nights and warehouse afterhours, the monthly installation Cameo—spun together by Sophia Kuhn, Isaac Treece, and Matt Dell—is among the newcomer parties catching waves for its expansive tastes and deep cuts. Their February inauguration event caught fire at the dim-lit General Lee’s tucked inside Gin Ling Way, an alley known for its high-end lowbrow galleries and low-end highbrow parties. And despite being in its infancy—the collective is just getting a third show under its belt—Cameo’s sets by past selectors like SWISHA, Swan Meat, and MARAL have already cemented a reputation for bringing diverse and irresistible music to the greying quietude of Chinatown, crossing through territories of pop, experimental, ambient, jungle, 90s freestyle UK bass, dembow, footwork, bailefunk, and kuduro. For the jaded post-psych youth and the displaced club kids, it’s a godsend, but for the organizers and the artists, it’s just a free weeknight party.
This Wednesday, Cameo’s third free pop-up arrives to the Grand Star Jazz Club with Mess Kid, Helikonia, Habibiboi, E**N (Chicago), and a special b2b set with Matthew and Bapari (moon casual, Laza Records), with live visual accompaniments by Nick Zhu, Tea Strazicic, and Camille Lacadee.
Suss it out and watch for their collaboration with labels Juke Bounce Werk and Mall Music Inc. featuring DJ Paypal, DJ Orange Julius, and DJ Mastercard at UNION on 6/29. – Ryan Mo, flyer by Caleb Ali Miller
Born Again Virgins EP Release
Do you dig virgins? You will after you hear the brand new self titled EP from the Born Again Virgins.
I had the distinct pleasure of listening to the EP ahead of the official release and I was quite impressed. But perhaps impressed is not the right word. Impressed is what I might be if this were the band’s 3rd or 4th release… Rather I was blown away that what I was hearing was the debut release from this band!
Some of the most distinctive qualities of the Virgins’ music exist in pairs. Their EP has a very mature sound while maintaining the raw energy one might expect from an initial release. The vocals are incredible, nay badass, without losing the femininity of vocalist Anna Roenigk. The melodies, rhythms, and grooves of Chris Garrigues on guitar, Taylor Turner on bass, and Paul Piñon on drums are a striking blend of punk-grunge power with softer sounds and progressions. The juxtaposition of sounds hearkens back to the good ol’ days of bands like the Pixies yet the Virgins still present fresh, unique, and contemporarily relevant music. If you only go to one EP release this year make it the Born Again Virgins May 19, 9pm at Hole in the Wall. Be there or be square!
-Cory Huennekens
Riot pop duo WASI release empowering new EP Coup
Merilous Salazar and Jessie Meehan have found a new way to present their musical talent to their fans, through female liberation and pop-punk vibrations. The duo’s newest EP, entitled Coup, has stirred some empowering musical tastes. The riot pop group has been promoting feminist and LGBTQ rights for awhile now, and with all the commotion in the past few months, it seems only right to give these kick-ass females some recognition in the music community. In a time when women are silenced as a whole, it feels damn good to be spoken for by the “pussy grabs back liberation”.
Get empowered and go find WASI at the Asian Pacific Heritage Month Showcase in LA on May 24.
Vikesh Kapoor releases new track “Down By The River”
Vikesh Kapoor has his mastery of acoustic folk down to a science. For the last three years, the Pennsylvania transplant took to Portland’s usual grey skies smoothly in the further development of his songwriting and musicianship. Kind of like Portland’s own Iron & Wine, his music progresses in a similar manner to the beverage, only getting better and better as it ages with time.
"Down By The River" is the newest track to come from Kapoor. It’s beautiful in its simplicity, with Kapoor’s vocal delivery and strumming gently guiding the listener throughout the song. It’s a track perfect for a summer evening drive or being stuck inside all day watching the rain fall.
Vikesh Kapoor is officially dropping the single tonight at his show at the Beacon Sound, with accompanying sets from Haley Heynderickx and Claire Puckett of the Austin, Tx orchestral indie band Mother Falcon. The all-ages show starts at 8pm and is just $10.
Weekend Warrior, May 19 – 21
This year’s Deli Philly Best Emerging Artist in Indie Rock, The Retinas, will headline a three-layered billing of Philly up-and-comers this Saturday at Ortlieb’s. Fuzzy, humid garage-punk permeates, as the loose, hazed-over relatability ricochets between the band and its audience. While employing a casual air, revealing lyricism invites you in. Then, those simmering, suburban storyboards reach a tipping point and scorch. Melding rubber-burning, fuzz-filtered fury with relaxed, melodic grooves, Tangiers zigzags the threshold of intensity, while relative newcomers, Lally, exhibit an inherently gritty, infectious batch of rock.
Also, this Sunday at the NoLibs watering hole, the adventurous psych/jazz guitar exploits of Nick Millevoi tear into the underexplored, aided on the billing by the perception-altering, sonic-wanderings of Chicago trio Mako Sico and the ever-evolving, investigative musicality of Jeff Zeigler. – Michael Colavita
Mons Vi plays second show at Trans Pecos on 05.25
Columbia grad Matthew Hershoff is the mind behind Mons Vi, a lo-fi indie project based in Brooklyn, whose dreamy hit “Away” (streaming) has over 17 thousand plays on Soundcloud. The combination of Hershoff’s powerful lyrics ("i can sense your unbound violence / living in your untamed silence / I can feel your unknown power / sleeping till the final hour"), the simple instrumentals, and Adrianne Gonzalez’s soft backing vocals gives this project a depths that trascends its ethereal sound. 2016’s EP "Indie Rock Bullshit" keeps faith to its title with a more upbeat and distorted approach. You can catch Mons Vi at The Trans Pecos on May 25th – it will be their second show ever! – Lilly Milman
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best soft songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!
New Camp Candle EP Available for Streaming & Purchase
As one prepares to head out this evening, the electro-percussive grooves of Camp Candle can provide the score for your nocturnal activities. The duo just released their EP Lights… via LA-based label Manimal Vinyl Records. Captivating vocals and sleek synth merge, setting things off for the three-song collection, which you can stream below. Camp Candle will also be performing this Sunday, May 21 at The Fire with Andre Altrez and Meganoke. (Photo by Darien Virgo)
NYC supergroup Ice Balloons returns at Rough Trade on June 14th
Ice Balloons is the eclectic supergroup of Kyp Malone (TV on the Radio), Sean Powell (The FuckEmos), Giselle Reiber (Midnight Masses), and Rob Bryn (Wild Yaks) – among others. After their 2013 self-titled debut (their only record to date), they kept a sporadic live show schedule, but one always filled with fun performances full of energy and all kind of psychedelic noises. Their show at Rough Trade on June 14 opening for Celebration (an ex Brooklyn band close to TV on The Radio) promises to be another opportunity for loud, on stage partying between a bunch of old time, talented friends.
The Total Bettys Releases New Album – Peach
The Total Bettys are a four-piece, queer, feminist pop punk band from San Francisco, California. Songwriter Maggie Grabmeier and guitarist Bri Barrett joined forces in March of 2015; they came for theface melting girl-power, but they stayed for the friendship. Soon after, the pair met their beloved bandmates Chris Nolasco (drums) and Chloé Lee (bass).
Grabmeier uses her and her bandmates’ regimen of self-care and self-doubt in developing the Total Bettys’s lovable and self-deprecating lyrics, including topics ranging from love, addiction, anxiety, how it feels to love someone who is difficult, and how it feels to be loved even though you are difficult. The album deals heavily in the fear of messing things up, but tucked between the declarations of awkwardness is sincerity about the importance of friendship, vulnerability, and expressing compassion.
Take a listen to the band’s newest album, Peach!!
Members of Hite, Crazy Pills, Desert Shark + more play The Hum on 05.22
The Hum doesn’t need any introductions (if you don’t know what it is, look here). The fourth monthly appointment, scheduled for Monday 22 at Good Room, will feature a diverse line up of artists, including a performence set curated by She Shreds magazine, the rag entirely focused on female guitarists. A wide variety of genres will be represented, from Desert Sharks’ garage rock to Arooj Aftab eastern compositions, from the electronic experimentations of Stud1nt to the revival pop of Crazy Pills. We created a compilation featuring most of the of the artists involved in this promising night of collaborative performances curated by LPR Presents, check it out!