This week, Wilder Maker’s Gabriel Birnbaum shared the first piece of his debut solo project with the new single, “Stack the Miles.” As a preview of his forthcoming record, “Stack the Miles” succeeds in doing justice to this artist’s distinct vocal style and cerebral Americana. The mid-tempo, acoustic feel of this new track calls to mind the folky disposition of Milky Chance’s “Stolen Dance,” with a raw composure that has been likened to early Bon Iver. Currently still involved with acclaimed Ethiopian pop ensemble Debo Band and indie rock group Wilder Maker, Birnbaum seems to have pulled his wide knowledge of genre into the DNA of this new material, forming a unique new spawn of mellow Americana. The Deli caught a glimpse of Birnbaum’s upcoming full-length LP, set for release in 2019, and, let me say, there are more smoldering, soothing sounds waiting for you. Check out Gabriel’s Birnbaum’s new “Stack the Miles” below, and don’t miss him debuting his new music at Mercury Lounge on 12.18, sharing the stage with Brooklyn band, Office Culture. – Rebecca Carroll

One of the most difficult tasks for a musical artist is to develop her project’s sound after a first, well-received album. Being diagnosed with thyroid cancer and a genetic joint disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, conditions that affect vocals and instrumental ability, certainly doesn’t make the challenge any easier. None of this prevented Brooklyn songwriter Thelma (aka Natasha Jacobs) from taking her music to the next level in less than two years. Her 2017 self titled debut LP was a collection of heartfelt and somewhat odd orchestral ballads. From the sound of the first single from sophomore LP "The Only Thing," Jacobs is upping the ante of her songwriting by amplifying the oddness and intensity of her chord progressions, lyrics, melodies and arrangements. A sparse and imaginative mid-tempo featuring acoustic drums, synths and harp, Take me to Orlando" is an ode to illusions, a poem dedicated to a yet-to-be-met lover to whom Thelma sings: "I love how you play with illusion / cause you know how badly we need them / But honey you’re so real / and you dance around fear […] and you don’t make me feel like I’m the woman I am not." Which sounds like a cleared-sighted expression of the healing power of art-making.

Don’t miss Thelma’s live show at Trans-Pecos on December 20th and look out for her new album, scheduled for a February 22 release.

Brooklyn collective Sloppy Jane is slowly but inexorably building a growing fanbase through a double-punch of theatrical post-punk delivered through a live performance that caters to widespread voyeuristic inclinations. At their shows you can expect an atmosphere reminiscent of pagan rituals, where noisy guitars, screaming voices, twisted lyrics and naked bodies concoct a performance that’s provocative at every level. 2018 album Willow sounds like a theatrical post-punk/DIY opera and – allegedly – tells the story of a “girl who existed inside of a strip club in Inglewood, who ran away to the desert to hustle pool with a lion, and who burned herself alive for [our] freedom.” It’s a powerful record filled with odd tracks that develop in unexpected sonic and vocal directions, without ever sounding disjointed or randomly assembled. Its manic energy well represents a band whose most noteworthy strength resides in a live show that is absolutely impossible to ignore. The band recently announced a short tour in the South and their participation in the 2019 SXSW Festival