Bethlehem Steel is loud. The band’s music commands the room with intensity and force. The group’s most recent album Party Naked Forever, released in November of 2017, brought that music to a new focus with tumbling fuzz rockers and stop-start rhythmic treats. It’s an album that successfully emphasizes the band’s tumultuous live power and serves as a persuasive argument for taking the time to catch the quartet on a stage. You’ll have that opportunity on January 17th when Bethlehem Steel headlines Silent Barn. – Cameron Carr

After a year spent battling vocal chord issues, Brooklyn artist Von Sell has returned with the R&B inflected electro-pop single “Hell No,” a hard-grooving debut for NYU’s Village Records. David Von Sell, the Hamburg, Germany native behind the project, sings with a soft and sly tone that contrasts the on-and-off pump of a dense electronica arrangement. The production shines on “Hell No,” so sleek it’s almost slippery with a thick snare-kick beat anchoring the rhythm down. It’s a marked improvement to his promising 2016 debut self-titled EP and an enticing preview of what we could expect from a new EP currently in progress by Von Sell. – Cameron Carr

Although the album tends to get bogged down in a competent shoegaze drone, June Parker brings some charm to traditional shoegaze tropes. Tracks like “What has Happened/What Will Happen” and “Love Her” in particular stand out for their pretty aesthetics. Lyrically, this album is quite true to the shoegaze style; giving the listener a vague sense of what the song is about, making sure that the song’s deeper meanings are hinted at but not necessarily explicitly laid out. There are enough nice moments on this release to make it well worth a listen.

-Mike Dranove

Once again, 2017 was a year of experiments in modern folk music. Two NYC acts that pushed the boundaries of the genre and further defined the slightly fuzzy definition of neo-folk were Swimming Bell and Thelma. “The Golden Heart,” the former’s debut EP, carved fresh arrangements and harmonic material out of familiar instrumental textures. Thelma’s self-titled record meandered into darker lyrical and melodic territory, though with a consistent crystalline vocal perched atop often dissonant chords and rockier textures. That being said, Pueblo and Hayes Peebles, on the rootsier end of the spectrum, shone with stellar songwriting and nuanced arrangements, offering up an enlightening modern take on a more traditional sound. Pueblo released their flavorful record “Boring the Camera,” stirred memories of an electric Simon & Garfunkel. Hayes Peebles’ “Ghosts EP” offered breathtaking melodies with lush, sentient lyrics, while peppering in a twangy guitar or two. We also really enjoyed Swoon Lake‘s lush ballads from her sophomore self-titled EP, although the artist doesn’t seem to be very active live. – Geena Kloeppel

Here’s a playlist with a song each from these five artists. 

Sur Back is the solo project of avant-pop NYC based artist Caroline Sans. Walking the line between orchestral and electronic, her new single Valentino (streaming below) showcases an artist able to synthesise complexity, structure and melody into music that’s relevant and current. Lovers of other deliciously edgy female fronted acts like Bjork, Portishead and St. Vincent should definitely lend an ear to Sur Back’s debut EP and look out for the upcoming sophomore entitled KITSCH II, bound to drop on February 2.rd. Sur Back will be performing live at The Knitting Factory tonight, January 9th.

Starting off the year with a Deli premiere are Lake Ruth, a group of multi-instrumentalists and genre explorers who are set to release their second album Birds of America on February 16th on British label Feral Child Recordings. The follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut features the track "One Of Your Own", which combines perky ’60s surf-rock psychedelia with the brooding New Wave vibes of Joy Division and the electronic textures of early Simple Minds. Allison Brice’s voice soars above the driving drums and entrancing guitars of bandmates Matt Schulz and Hewson Chen in a mix care of Grammy-winning producer Geoff Sanoff. Listen to the Deli premiere of "One Of Our Own" below. – Will Sisskind