For the musicians behind the smooth alt rock of the Oakland group Deep Well, authenticity is key. Made up of the musicial veterans Elijah Behar (vocals and guitar,) Sam DeMello (percussion,) and Jordan Sperry (bass,) the band is dedicated to creating clean and stylized rock—as seen on the latest double single (streaming below), recorded live at the legendary studio Tiny Telephone (which has held sessions for Death Cab for Cutie, Deerhoof, Spoon, and more.) Reminiscent of the earlier work of alt-stars Imagine Dragons, the tracks “Control” and “666666” are both soulful and dynamic, an effect that is only intensified by the fact that they were recorded live. Deep Well will be playing their next show tomorrow on April 11th at Brick & Mortar. – Lilly Milman

The southern New Jersey shore town of Asbury Park continues to produce a steady stream of new artists in both music and visual digital media. The recent partnership between musicians The Cold Seas and video production company Carousel Media House on the bands latest release “Retrograde” is both a sonic and visually stunning achievement. With the imagery surfacing from a stark candlelit black and white, a rich modulating synth pulses behind somber vocals. A pretty face appears momentarily, accompanied by lyrics “I think of you at times, until it kills me on the inside.” The full band emerges and the mood is further established with the simple hook line “I’m feeling something for you. Can I get something from your heart?” The band will play next at Langosta Lounge in Asbury Park on 4/19 and in nyc at Pianos on 5/4 with Memoirs of Addiction. – Dave Cromwell

Dru Cutler took the stage at Pianos on April 7th to release his newest LP, Bring Closer The Distance. The record marks a shift in lyrical content and production value for Cutler, who debuted in 2016 with the album Familiar. On Bring Closer The Distance, Cutler reaches out through his words to people who shaped him throughout his life, including his father who lives with bipolar disorder and his estranged stepmother. In songs like the thundering "Oceanside", which has hints of U2 and Bob Dylan, Cutler comes to terms with his reality and place in a conflicted world. Speaking of Dylan: Bring Closer The Distance showcases the mastering genius of engineer Dave McNair, who worked with Dylan and David Bowie, as well as mixing engineer Andy Taub, who has worked with Keith Richards and Ani DiFranco. Dru will host a vinyl listening party with intimate acoustic performance at Noho Sound on April 13. Stream single "Oceanside" below. – Will Sisskind

New York’s alt-folk powerhouse Welles has delivered again with his new single, "Seventeen." It’s at once easy listening and a foreboding portrait of a young person’s foray into intimacy. Welles paints a first-person picture of someone who’s contemplating whether or not a hook-up will have deleterious effects on the other person’s psyche, while also acknowledging the lust that seems to have overtaken the narrator. "It’s cold in the water/I wonder if I should bother/When she gets old it’ll haunt her/I’m here tonight and I want her/I’m here tonight and I got her." It’s a balladic pop song at its core, with an eminently singable hook ("Seventeen/So unclean"), yet a darkness lines the song’s edges. Welles kicks off a U.S. summer tour at Mercury Lounge on April 9th, with Wild Moon. Listen to "Seventeen" below! – Ethan Ames