Part of living in New York is an unfortunately normalized culture of exhaustion, both physical and emotional. Few cities can boast a guide of the Best/Worst places to Cry in Public; such cultural phenomena are likely a product of rising rents, a drive by management for greater productivity over the course of the 40 (or 50, or 60) hour work week, and failing infrastructure (just a guess). And despite the bullshit, we’re all still here, a sentiment at the core of Noah Chenfeld’s new single “I Love Being Tired.” Lamenting the necessity to save money, the crowded nature of the subway, and the absolutely brutal winters, Chenfeld finds resolve on the song’s chorus, aptly crooning “I love being tired” over vintage, Zombies-esque keys sand syncopated Fender chords. Chenfeld’s lyrics are both a passive acceptance of the hurried lifestyle inherent to city living and a tongue-in-cheek critique of the rat race we’re all active participants in; listen to it this weekend when someone at a party asks you “how are you doing” and you politely abstain from telling them how you really feel, and catch Noah Chenfeld at Pianos on December 6th. —Connor Beckett McInerney

Oakland-based alt-pop artist Sun Kin just released the single “IDKY” off forthcoming LP Private Time. Kabir Kumar, the India-born artist behind the music, seeks to point out what he calls the “shallowness of algorithmic music selection” that we’re surrounded by. Kin creates bedroom pop songs heavy on the organs with earnest lyrical inflections. Says the track: “When it’s the date of the show/Just simply act like you know/It’s okay to be admired/And while you’re sharing your screen/You must pretend like you have seen/The confidence of a paycheck.” Where the song really shines is in the composition with special praise to those horns and percussion. The full LP is full of catchy soulful pop songs with special guests sprinkled throughout. Sun Kin releases Private Time on January 17th, where they’ll be playing The Starline Social Club. -Lucille Faulkner 

Photo: Ginger Fierstein

Paper Fairy returns with a video for the new single "We Laugh", featuring project mastermind Chris Gaskell and a whole lot of feet. The single comes from the NYC-based band’s Tautology EP, a follow-up to last year’s Haunter Haunted. On Tautology, Gaskell’s avant-garde pop creates a dialogue between the concepts of the real self and the performed self. The video for "We Laugh" shows this conversation through close-ups of feet touching, Gaskell’s face appearing in the big toenail (an unlikely place for a face to appear), and glass causing blood to spill, along with other examinations of body, pain, and voyeurism. Take a look at the strange, weirdly-engrossing video below, and catch Paper Fairy at Berlin on December 8th for the video release show. – Will Sisskind

The other night I found myself at Woods, playing cards with a friend and enjoying the finest cider I’d laid lips on in a while. A local quartet had just set up and as the music on the speakers died down, the vibrant sounds of jazz lit up the space and I’m telling you: the room shifted. Bassist Lisa Mezzacappa was killing it, Jordan Glenn snapped away on those drums, the trombone and the alto sax blended beautifully. At one point my card playing partner turned to me with happy shaking head, saying, “Who is this?” Between songs I went up to ask the trombonist (Rob Ewing) who wrote the piece and he pointed to saxist Beth Schenck. “It’s called ‘Dedicated To,’” he told me. Amazing.

I’ve since been digging on more SIFTER and found myself listening to another project led by Ewing, Junior Reggae, who just released their latest album These Lines, off Slow and Steady Records. The band is “avant-dub,” with modern jazz at its core but with—as the name suggests—a marriage of reggae, dub and fluid jazz compositions throughout. Influenced by Augustus Pablo and Lee “Scratch” Perry, the group is a unique find that brings together an inspiring collection of musicians. There’s Max Miller-Loran on trumpet and keys, Steven Blum on keys, Jason Levis on percussions and Rob Ewing on bass, trombone, keys and more percussion. It’s an ear fest. Junior Reggae is playing Woods this Friday December 6 from 5-8. Come on out for an evening and save me a cider. –Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

Album artwork by Jesse Rimler.