New York’s Liquor Radio tastefully blends indie-rock with dashes of Americana to create a sound that’s quite their own. Their sound is energetic yet controlled; the band’s rhythm section is somewhat dialed back, with melancholy violin and piano leading many of their songs. Further, Liquor Radio indulges in intricate vocal harmonies, rounding out an intriguing and assertive sound. Liquor Radio is playing Mercury Lounge on April 15th, with Juliet Garrett. Check out "Bottles of Yourself" below! – Ethan Ames

The first instinct when hearing Bambara is to label it as a noise-rock outfit, but pretty soon there comes a hesitation. The New York transplants, originally from Georgia, bring a sort of Western rhythm into the affair. The howling guitars start sounding like an ominous wind ripping across the new frontier, the groaning vocals become an impassioned southern drawl. That may be overstating certain influences, but it is true that the core of Bambara’s sound is a mutation of guitar music, manifesting in near-forgotten influences (desert rock?) and otherworldly contortions of guitar noise. That remains just as true on the band’s third album, Shadow on Everything, released last week. It’s a dark, effects-heavy piece of post-punk that draws apt comparisons to the deep, tense and troubled music of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. On April 13th, a week after that release, Bambara will celebrate the album live performing with added accompaniment from strings and saxophone at ALPHAVILLE. Listen to Shadow on Everything below. – Cameron Carr

With a forthcoming debut EP set to be released this summer, the Oakland “hydra-hiphop” duo FR333 has already carved out a space for itself with the release of excitingly fresh—and aptly named—single and subsequent video “Contagious Spirit ft. ASTU” (streaming below.) Made up of rapper MADlines (Maddy Clifford) and producer XOA (Allie Howard), FR333 brings a feminine energy that hits hard to the hip-hop scene. Created in celebration of black girls and women, the video is ethereal and fluid, cycling between images of surreal dancers, nature, and everyday life. – Lilly Milman

Running the gamut from string-led slowcore to crunchy emo, Good Looking Friends have a pretty firm grasp on the world of emotional basement music. The group’s latest track, “Front Porch,” pairs twinkling guitars with sweeping orchestration before a rushing climax recedes into the swell of strings. It’s the first single from Good Looking Friends’ new album Settle In, Decay, out April 6th. The band recently played the release party at Bushwick Public House, but you can catch them again at Muchmore’s on April 20th. In the meantime, watch the video for “Front Porch” below. – Cameron Carr

In the spring of 2017, Colatura vocalist/guitarist Digo Degorio convinced vocalist/guitarist Jennica Best to quit her job and start a band with him. With the help of drummer Rich DeGregorio, the band built up a following by playing shows around the city. Now they have a debut EP ready to release on April 13th. The EP, titled Spring Drew Blood, introduces the world to Colatura’s eclectic style, which takes from ’60s garage rock to ’90s grunge and post-punk. Tracks on the album examine the concept of self-worth, made clear in song titles such as "Is Love Enough?" and "Afraid". You can stream the latter track below. Listen for Degorio’s dreamy guitars which can turn crunchy on a dime, and for Best’s opera-tinged vocals.

Colatura will perform at a release show for Spring Drew Blood at Rose Gold on April 12th; get the EP there before it goes live online the next day. – Will Sisskind