Steep Ravine is a folky rock ‘n roll band steeped in bluegrass traditions from the Bay Area of San Francisco. Guitarist and lead vocalist Simon Linsteadt and violinist/vocalist Jan Purat met in high school and linked up with bassist Alex Bice while studying in Santa Cruz. They released their third full length LP, Turning Of The Fall, earlier this spring, complete with a full West Coast tour that just wrapped. On Saturday, July 22, catch a special and intimate one-off performance at the infamous Santa Cruz hotspot, The Crepe Place.

– Joshua Huver

Like flying over a futuristic city on a sunny day, Jay Pray’s new self-titled album has a technological feel to it, but it’s never a cold one. In a way it’s a little like the sci-fi movies produced in the ’50s and ’60s: free from cynicism, technology was portraid as an exciting and benevolent force. This is captured best on "Time" (streaming), where Pray’s smooth, soulful vocals glide over the track’s glittery and at times groovy instrumental. He’s also not afraid to slow things down, like on "I’m Sorry," where both Pray’s vocals and the arrangements get a shade bluer. On these tracks and the rest of his LP, Pray has exhibited a knack for catchy songwriting that doesn’t pull any emotional punches. You catch him live at Lantern Hall on 07/13. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber

 Deli Austin scene Artists of the Month Glaze have earned this distinction largely on the basis of their recently released EP “Wasted Mind” (streaming in full below).  Combining lively three-piece alternative rock interplay with explosive dreamgaze elements, the four songs make for a compelling listen.  Lead track “No Surprises” features open note arpeggio guitar chords with matched bass figures propelled along by quick pattern high-hat and snare percussion.  Shredding washes of distorted guitar erupt over frenetic drumming as affecting melodies emerges via dramatic background vocals and extended guitar tones.  “Who Can Say” (which contains the EP title lyric) follows with a similar lead in structure while coming at an even quicker pace.  Along with effective quick-stop staccato breaks, there is an overwhelming romantic feel not unlike the gone (but not forgotten) Depreciation Guild (minus that bands chiptune/8 bit music underpinnings). “Mercury” adds a dreamier shimmer while advocating a desire to throw off the “nostalgia” and be “ready to be someone new.”  Final cut “Chow Mein” shifts the mood away from sentimental longings opting for the quiet-to-loud musings of “Surfer Rosa” era Pixies. – Dave Cromwell

Cold Beat will be reaching the end of their Cali-based tour this month after a San Fransisco show on August 15. The band will perform their latest work, Chaos By Invitation, an album released this past April that sounds like a combination of modern day electropop and post-punk. The album creats this sonic concoction in an interesting way, with basslines and electronic pianos constructed in a post-punk style, but delivered in a modern electronic and pop manner. This mix of celestial and punching electronic pianos gives the 80s-influenced project quite the contemporary feel. Check out the track "62 Moons", a track that does just this (and is also at times reminiscent of dreampop band Beach House), below. – Pearse Devlin

Long Beach-based oso oso’s new LP the yunahon mixtape is the exact brand of sophisticated indie emo that has been missing from the scene for the past decade. Taking cues from early 2000s staples like Death Cab (specifically, their first few albums), the yunahon mixtape is filled with hints of punk, indie pop, math rock, and more—all of which crystallized through distinctive riffs, fleshed out harmonies, catchy choruses, and emotional lyrics. The production is clean, but not artificial, seemingly retaining the sound quality of an old cassette (just like indicated in the title). They’ve already kicked off a fall tour, and will be playing the Brooklyn Bazaar on July 12th. Listen to our favorite track, "reindeer games," streaming below.  – Lilly Milman

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

Billy Changer is one of those artists that comes in and out of the LA spotlight, but somehow always manages to stick in your head. 2014’s release S/T is a groovy, innovative psych-pop record, with two memorable tracks like "Barbarella" and "Black Angel." Like anything on Lolipop, the fun-loving rival of Burger Records, the album is sun-drenched sweetness. 2016’s "Light and Shadow Under the Olive Tree" makes a more "organic" turn, with fewer effects and a more earthy lyric-driven sound, that’s borderline folk-pop. Listen to their new Soundcloud singles for their upcoming release or catch them at one of their national tour stops continuing now into September. – Allie Miller 

"Sarah Brown" sounds like that wild Saturday night at a grunge-y, smoke-filled bar listening to hard rock. Or… hard folk? This new tune by 5j Barrow sure rocks and rolls in every sense of the term, except there’s also a banjo solo. That’s what makes it all the more: there’s the expected lonesome beginning, with hollow harmonies and a steadily beating kick drum, which melts into smashing guitars and half-growled/half-shouted vocals by the end of the song. 5j Barrow are clearly heavily influenced by the folkier textures in the genre, but "Sarah Brown" is a wild ride, no doubt. Their forthcoming EP, The Journey: Vol. 1, is out this fall. After a bunch of local dates (Union Hall tonight, Rockwood on the 13th), the band, founded and fronted by singer-songwriters and Broadway actors, Eryn Murman and Jason Hite, will go out on a New England/upstate NY in August. –Geena Kloeppel