New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
The mostly slept on self-titled debut album from Blu Jeen (aka Sean Cullen, SEENMR) is celebrating its one year anniversary next week. The album was released in June 2018 via the Berlin label Cosmic Compositions, and is a mixed of sleepy Psych/Folk Rock, ambient production, and warped soul.
Below is the video for the album’s opening track “Babe”.
Modaff released a new single last week called “Night Light”, their first since the release of their debut EP, “Clean House” back in December.
Modaff is fronted by local artist and writer Emilie Modaff along with Chris DeSalvo, Josh Stanley, and Andy Modaff.
Brooklyn’s Sooner lets each of its influences shine on their own in its 2018 EP Stranger, and, with that name, a My Bloody Valentine reference shouldn’t catch any shoegazer fan by suprise. The band does an excellent job of flashing some serious shoegazing in between their jangly pop tunes. Snappy drum beats and easy-going vocal melodies make way for furious guitar drones and elaborate basslines drenched in dfuzz. Songs like “Humid Air” and “Notes from Underground” (streaming) gradually build up, slowly revving up each instrument for a grand climax. The ease with which the band switches up their intensity keeps the listener engaged, while sonic layers are added and removed as the song progresses. The group has kept busy since releasing their EP by playing a string of shows throughout Brooklyn, a string which will continue on June 13th with a gig at Brooklyn Bazaar. – Rene Cobar
Heavy Banding, the new album from Slingshot Dakota, recently arrived via Community Records, Specialist Subject Records & Stiff Slack. Keys and drums unite to create a constant, thumping heaviness. When coupled with Carly Comando’s affecting vocals, the message is unquestioningly delivered. The duo continues to be an undeniable, sonic force coming out of the Lehigh Valley.
The Last Great Kings invite you to sit back and enjoy the world around you, to the tune of vibrant acoustic guitars strings. The indie-folk trio from Lynn, MA released their debut full-length album Starry Eyed Kids back in January, and it is filled with tunes that highlight the band’s fluid basslines, lively acoustic guitars, and quick-witted drums patterns. Songs like “Wow, That’s a lot of Jet Skis” have the vital story-telling ingredients of folk, that great sing-along vibe that is characteristic of New England’s famous Irish pubs. The group has a style similar to Noah and the Whale, albeit a bit more playful and stripped down. You can catch The Last Great Kings Aug 2nd at Club Bohemia in Cambridge, MA. “Wow, That’s a lot of Jet Skis” is streaming below. – Rene Cobar
West Coast Weekend has one great thing going for them—they have a band name that virtually any 9-5er can sympathize with. Luckily, the indie-pop quartet’s new single, "Nobody Like You," also has a brisk, jubilant vibe that perfectly exemplifies their positive attitude. Everything about it pops with a radio-friendly sound—featuring energetic claps to surging horns, the band lends their slick harmonies to a track that casts a sun-dappled glow.
"Nobody Like You" is the second single off their upcoming EP, which comes out sometime in June. Catch their debut show at The Satellite alongside Sleeplust and Molly Moore on June 10. Juan Rodríguez
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Juniper Purr is releasing a new album, Galaxy Radio, this Friday via Godyssey Music. The Deli is lucky to premiere the album’s final track, “Goldie Waits.” “Goldie Waits” starts off cheerful and charming. The song’s mellow blend of surf and psych is lulling but never dull. The upbeat surf riffs and falsetto vocals are the perfect entrance to vocalist’s Bo Olivieri’s smoother sound. His voice is warm and meditative, like the sunshine resting on your shoulders during a day at the beach. It takes the listener on a journey through summery, thoughtful days with the promise of more to come.
-By Avril Carrillo
Whitney announced this week that their next album, Forever Turned Around, will be released on August 30th via Secretly Canadian. They also released the first single, “Giving Up”, for that forthcoming album.
You can catch Whitney at Pitchfork Music Festival on July 21st.
Brooklyn-based quartet Damn Tall Buildings is getting ready to release their new album Don’t Look Down on June 7th, the final single “I’ll Be Getting By” is a whole lot of fun. The band is fully committed to the high energy and storytelling of bluegrass music; this is evident in the new single’s bright choruses and swift pace. Each string instrument alternates between playing melody and accompaniment for a layered sound that keeps the listener engaged from start to finish. Damn Tall Buildings’ faithful approach to bluegrass follows in the footsteps of groups like Punch Brothers, which have done a fantastic job of leading the genre’s resurgence, with their compositions that bring out the history of American Music’s roots. Damn Tall Buildings will be playing the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival up north in Oak Hill, NY on July 18th. “I’ll Be Getting By” is streaming below. – Rene Cobar
Jeff Ruby shows his versatile songwriting chops on his new record Spiral, which came out on May 31st. The fifth album from the Indiana-born songwriter, Spiral takes sounds from Ruby’s influences — grunge legends like Nirvana and Soundgarden, and classic bands like The Beatles and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers — and gives back songs that go soft like a ballad ("Dream State 24") and hard like a grunge anthem ("Doomsday"). Ruby is currently on tour supporting Spiral; at most of his performances on the road, he’ll go solo, channeling all of the full-band energy of the tracks on the album through his voice and guitar. Take a listen to the energetic "Doomsday" below. – Will Sisskind
Post-Punk quartet French Police released an EP this week called “Pedaleo Nocturno”. This follows their self-titled debut LP, which was just released back in January. The EP contain tracks in both Spanish and English and is filled with a nostalgic New Wave/Post-Punk sound that will quickly take back to the early ’80’s.
French Police is the work of Brian Flores, Jesse Flores, Jose Vega, and Kevin Peralta.
You can catch French Police on June 9th for a FREE show at Emporium Chicago with The Limbos.
Boys by Girls is the new EP from Phily’s own Instupendo, a.k.a. Aidan Peterson. Absorb the ethereal, electro, dream-pop ambiance. Those minimalistic beats, balanced by lyrical emotives, creates a weightless yet alluring collection of recordings. Instupendo will be performing next in Philly on Saturday, July 6 at Kung Fu Necktie, along with NYC’s Glassio and Brisbane, Australia’s Golden Vessel.
