Isador Kaufman’s debut EP, Scattered Efforts, is a “collection of songs about happy and sad.” It’s his first solo album after his former band, Watergate Sandals, disbanded in 2017. “I was in a bit of a creative rut for a while there,” Kaufman says, and is grateful to have re-found the creative energies to make Scattered Efforts. Some tracks have a bit of a Mac Demarco thing while others have a sometimes spacey, sometimes beachy psych rock feel. The simple description of “Pop” does not do this work justice. It’s an honest and raw collection, written, performed, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Kaufman himself. He recorded and mixed on Pro Tools then mastered songs on an old Foster 4 track cassette player he bought off Craigslist. As a first effort at production, we’re impressed. We’re also impressed that he decided to donate 100% of the proceeds from EP sales to Planned Parenthood. Stay tuned for tour dates and his second album, which is in the works as we speak. Like we say, stay tuned. – Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

Garage rock is still kicking very hard in NYC thanks to bands like Daddies who take every aspect of the genre’s do-it-yourself(-and-have-fun) very seriously by churning out one distorted chord progression after the next in their first EP titled—simply and in classic punk fashion—EP 1. The crazed songs in their debut record summon the energy of ’70s pioneers like The Ramones and The Dead Kennedys. The acoustic opening in their song “GoodBye" (streaming) is perfectly disrupted by the electric guitars which come roaring in, and the aggression is taken to the next level by a seemingly constantly speeding tempo and by a furious drum solo finale – there’s Daddies for you. The group is taking the stage at Baby’s All Right on May 23, and it is bound to be a hell of a good time. Check out “GoodBye” here below. – Rene Cobar

NYC pop masters Modern Diet are back with a new EP that serenely lays out a sonic tapestry of colorful compositions that are brushed with indie rock, R&B, and psych-pop influences. Sit Down and Dance is an appropriate title for a record that grooves and entrances at once with waves of flanged guitar chords and synth embellishments that linger regally. There is a poise to the record that shows the band’s ability to mold its music: while the group’s 2015 self-titled debut album had a more aggressive approach of alternative rock with a tinge of mellow jazz, this second release expands on the latter and adds some rich harmonies to boot. The band is preparing for a string of shows, and one of the stops will be at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on May 1st. We have a track from the new EP here for you. – Rene Cobar