Born in 2014, the Nashville-based four-piece CHICO has gone through quite a few lineup changes since the release of their debut EP Pipe Dreams. All the current members have played (or currently still play) with other bands, which explains the immense range of the EP. CHICO’s brand of garage rock is infused with psychedelia, slacker rock, prog-rock, and even a bit of folk. While songs like “Bald Sockets” and “Ruined” (streaming below) are explosive and guitar-heavy, title track “Pipe Dreams” is slow and melodic. CHICO will be playing with Butthole, Phobos, and Supermelt at The East Room on July 31st. – Lilly Milman

Guerilla Toss‘ new full length GT Ultra was partly inspired by the CIA’s “Project MKUltra” which experimented with drugs to weaken and torture those under interrogation, and appropriately enough, the album art is covered with acid blotter papers. The release, the band’s second under DFA, showcases a more mature production that doesn’t get in the way of the group’s signature unpredictability. An acid trip in itself, GT Ultra takes the conventions of dance, punk, electronic, and rock music and rips them apart. “Can I Get the Real Stuff,” their second track, introduces the band’s repeated practice of entering the realm of a recognizable sound/genre, and tearing those walls down with something unexpected. It sounds like if LCD Soundsystem and Sonic Youth combined forces, or if Blondie went haywire. Their fourth track “TV Do Tell” follows this same idea, bringing in instances of ’80s pop, until an uncontrollable frenzy takes over, as if someone was messing with the pitch lever on the entire track, while changing the tempo signature without warning. “Skull Pop” brings forth cryptic lyrics, like a recap of a hallucination, aligned with music hinting that something went wrong along the way. GT Ultra follows no patterns, no norms, yet comes together throughout the turmoil as one of the most exciting releases of 2017. Be sure to see Guerilla Toss live when they play in NYC again (or wherever you live).  – Pearse Devlin

Brooklyn-based O Mer participates in the effort undertaken by a select number of soul artists (many of them based in NYC) to dismantle once and for all the notions that: A. electronic music is overly clinical and "cold," and B. soul music is not adventurous enough. In his single “Now I’m Alive” (streaming below,) his falsetto, overlaying a heavy bass synth line and melodic drops, makes the song surge with emotion. A pulsating beat accompanies the vocals towards a word-less chorus, where abrasive synths intersect with ghostly melodic lines in a triumph of glissando. The artist employs similar production approach in more lyrically driven single, "Overflown." O Mer will be playing a set at Alphaville on July 13th, alongside Secret Crush and No Ice. – Lilly Milman

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

For Becca Mancari, making music is a showcase of humanity. It’s evident in her songs the effort to convey who she is, through her confident and evocative alto. Through music retaining the twang Nashville is renown for, Mancari informs all of her songwriting with her life experiences, specifically those that involve her travels—she’s lived everywhere from Staten Island to Zimbabwe. She’ll be playing a show with Bermuda Triangle and Liz Cooper at the Basement East on July 12th. – Lilly Milman, photograph by Zachary Gray

Listen to our favorite track “Dirty Dishes” streaming below.

Even with only one four-track EP under their belt (released in January 2017), NYC’s Dodgeball already showcase an intriguing ’90s revival sound influenced in equal parts by slack rock and post rock. A twisted, cranky guitar, an evocative nerd-boy singing, and a killer name that’s a 10 on the nostalgia scale. Like the mellower cousin of Ovlov or Krill, Dodgeball forge charmingly sad, somewhat hesitant songs, with the power to win you over. We are entranced by tracks like "Veggies" (streaming), constructed on a fragile web of intersecting guitar lines and precarious vocal melodies, slowly gaining more drive and density. Don’t miss their next show at Ridgewood Community College with Dark Tones, Oceanator, and Panoramic. – Allie Miller, photo by M.Cicchetti Photography.

On July 19th, Wilder Maker will be taking the stage at Baby’s All Right to celebrate their 7” release, New Streets, with special guests Wilsen and Star Rover. Unveiled back in April, the single features an elegant and silky smooth combination of alt pop, folk, and jazz. Katie Von Schleicher’s serene vocals recollect a fun day with friends strolling through Brooklyn, going to parties – and even taking shrooms. The track combines clean and sophisticated chord progressions from Gabriel Birnbaum (also involved in the songwriting) with a sensual incorporation of a tenor sax solo that builds towards an exuberant finale. Check out a live in studio version of the song, below (courtesy thrdcoast.com) and also the other noteworthy single ‘Only Child,’ streaming underneath. – Pearse Devlin