Releasing music under the moniker Warm Body, psychedelic rocker Ryan Foster creates a lyrics heavy long-form pop that says true to the beat.  Recent single release “Cold Summer” is a plodding, mid-tempo track where layers of twangy, bended electric guitars move the progression forward, while the story of existential worry regarding interpersonal relationships unfolds.  “Do be kind my love – I’m just fine with silence – and aren’t we all just dreaming anyway? Waiting for a better situation.”  Multi-layered vocal harmonies create a swirling, trippy sensation, while still managing to evoke pop classics like The Turtles “Happy Together,” or the more arranged tracks by Elliott Smith.  Clocking in at a full five minutes, the track ultimately develops beyond simpler pop song boundaries, moving deeper into a psych-jam realm.  Warm Body plays Sunnyvale on 12/21. – Dave Cromwell

Low Mein was birthed in an NYC coffee shop by musicians Eric Jaso and Shaun Wong. The duo offers the kind of upbeat slacker rock that gets blood pumping and immediately brings the jangly, beachy influence of bands like Girls to mind. Their latest single “Beach Party,” is a luminous, youthful anthem about the rapture of enjoying simple things. Fuzzy guitars, melodic bass, and rapid shaker rhythms sync to create a sonic and aesthetic world all its own. Don’t miss their set tomorrow at Alphaville and check out the single below. – Andrew Strader

The San Francisco-based Debbie Neigher, who goes by the name Lapel, provides danceable pop music with an edge. The seasoned keyboardist and backup vocalist gets her name from an anecdote about Margaret Trudeau, who responded to an interview question about her marriage with the phrase, “I want to be more than a rose in my husband’s lapel.” Her latest single “Less Of A Woman” (streaming below) follows the same feminist wave as her namesake, proclaiming her as a femme fatale force to be reckoned with in the Bay Area scene. She will be bringing her introspective pop to the Rickshaw Stop on December 13th, and then later to The Crepe Place in Santa Cruz on January 6th. – Lilly Milman

The music of Soft Glas — a.k.a. producer and songwriter Joao Gonzalez — evokes dreamy and funky vibes that both excite and chill the nerves. It’s music that works well in a full length format, and Joao seems aware of it, since Orange Earth, released in September, is the project’s third LP. Live, the musician plays/samples/loops a series of instruments on top of electronic tracks, and does it in an entertaining fashion – so much so that Soft Glas has was recently asked to tour in support of Oklahoma-based group Sports, playing shows in Los Angeles and Baltimore. He’ll return to NYC on December 13th at Mercury Lounge, and then on the 14th, in Brooklyn at Baby’s All Right. Catch either show if you can; otherwise, stream Soft Glas’s latest single "Perks of Being a Sunflower" below. Close your eyes, and daydream. – Will Sisskind

Charming NYC trio The Happy Fits plays an intriguing blend of folk, vintage pop and funk/soul. Their sound is sparse but – as you can hear in single "While You Fade Away" (streaming below) – it can be pretty punchy. If the bass in that track sounds a little bright to you, it’s because it’s not actually a bass, but a plucked cello, which impersonates the other four string instruments in all their songs. The young group has a fun live show and simple but sophisticated melodies everybody can relate to, and these are certainly two of the reasons why Pianos decided to give them a residency during the month of December. The next live performance will be on December 12, if you dig it, do not miss it!