Ezra Tenenbaum used to write about guitar pedals for our Delicious Audio blog. We were pleasantly surprised to see his new band EZTV signed with super buzzworthy Brooklyn label Captured Tracks (home to notable artist such as Mac DeMarco, DIIV, Widowspeak and Wild Nothing among others). Since we had his email, we thought it was time to ask him a few questions about his favorite pedals… check out the Q&A on Delicious Audio. The band is about to release their debut album and is currently on a week long tour with Jacco Gardner and DINNER.

Between Donald Trump’s gross statements about Mexican immigrants and Puerto Rico’s financial default, these days Hispanics living in the US are in the news for all the wrong reasons. In the meantime, here in the NYC scene, bands such as Empress of, Salt Cathedral and Buscabulla, led by talented musicians born in Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico and other wonderful Spanish speaking regions, are making music the old Trump should probably listen to – at least to correct on the notion that the Spanish speaking countries "don’t send their best people to the US." With members hailing from Colombia and Puerto Rico, Balancer is a rather recent addition to this platoon of Hispanic NYC based artists. Quite interestingly, all of the bands we mentioned here play music that’s imaginatively melodic and… well, yes: dreamy. Whether the dream that inspired them is the American Dream, the musicians’ dream of "making it," the "DREAMers" dream, or a simple musical influence, it’s hard to deny that that very concept seems to be central to the experience of immigrants and artists alike – no wonder it becomes crucial for these immigrant-artists. The new Balancer video we are premiering here for beautiful single ‘Re Minder’ re… minds us that the cacophony outside our heads is truly irrelevant, and happiness is a place we can learn to access at any time. An antidote to the Trump style ubris and ugliness can be found in the ability to open our minds to the therapeutic power of imagination, something children and artists naturally possess. This song and video are about the freedom nobody can take away from us, something the Trumps of the world likely lost for good, and something that doesn’t need guns to be protected. Don’t miss Balancer’s upcoming show at Cameo Gallery on July 9th.

As irresistibly loving as a child’s smile, “Milky Way” (streaming below) by Brooklyn’s Air Waves glints the kind of unabashed joy that seems at the root of pop music.But the warmth of this lead single off the Nicole Schneit-founded band’s forthcoming album ‘Parting Glances’ belies deeper consideration. “Hold me,/Don’t let me go,/Can anyone settle?” Schneit sings over gentle guitars and steady drums, that last word apparently referencing the difficulties of romantic commitment but perhaps hinting at the broader idea of compromise. Such is this songwriter’s intrigue; she enables various meanings on a dime. ‘Parting Glances,’ which was recorded with Woods multi-instrumentalist Jarvis Taveniere and counts among its featured artists Jana Hunter of Lower Dens, is due September 18 via Western Vinyl. You can see Air Waves live at Shea Stadium on July 15. – Zach Weg

Chilling, haunting, and nightmarish may not be the first words that come to mind when you think of psych rock, but they’re exactly the kind of feelings that Brooklyn locals Heaven’s Gate promise to conjure up on the their upcoming record, “Woman at Night.” Preview track, entitled “Amanda Berry,” derives its name from one of the three women who was held hostage and sexually assaulted by Ariel Castro for over a decade.   The chaotic guitars, heavy breathing, and eery lyrics (using Berry’s own words from her 911 call) come together to forge an energetic four minutes of noisy guitar rock that is at once chilling and empowering. The lyrics of the chorus, “I’m alive, kick out the door, I’m Amanda Berry,” evoke a sense of survival in the face of adversity. Overall, the band manages to create a powerful piece of music that tactfully deals with a terrifying reality. Psych rock fans should also check out the band’s previous full length ‘Transmuting.’
“Woman at Night,” the band’s third record, is set to release sometime this summer. Heaven’s Gate is currently on tour and will be performing at a number of venues in the New York area, including a show at Palisades on July 3rd and Rough Trade on July 30th. – Patrick Wolff

Crooning since ’09, BRAEVES‘ frontman Ryan Colt Levy lays the foundation for Long Island’s best (and only?) soul-indie act. Their onerously-rendered EP, ‘Drifting by Design,’ was produced by Minuteman Mike Watts, who also assisted As Tall As Lions recently. ‘Drifting’ rides a similar soft beat (boy!) that let’s you, like Dobie Gray, drift away. The band just released a new single entitled "Silver Streets" (streaming below) and they are playing Cameo Gallery on July 11th with Good Graeff, who are coming off a national tour with Mates of State and Hey Marseilles. – Brian Chidester

Marrying the spaciness of Electric Light Orchestra’s "Strange Magic" and the sunniness of The Beatles’ "Getting Better," "Better All The Time" by Zuli is a dazzling piece of pop. Off the New York-based quartet’s May-released EP ‘Supernatural Voodoo,’ the synth-roofed song illuminates a lover’s struggle towards peace with playful sensitivity. The band’s mastermind, native New Yorker Ryan Camenzuli, has expressed affection for Animal Collective and the headiness of those contemporary icons comes across in "Better All The Time." With his gentle voice, Camenzuli appears a romantic, though, and, in the end, "Better All The Time" is a love song. Listen to, and watch the A Clockwork Orange-nodding music video, for "Better All The Time" below. As part of their summer tour, Zuli plays at Baby’s All Right on August 1st. – Zach Weg

Fronted by the three eclectic Rauch-Sasseen sisters, Brooklyn/New Jersey band Hey Anna bring unabashed ear candy to the NYC scene. Sporting God Help the Girl-like vocals, quirky synths, and delicious lyrics, singles like "By the Bay" remind that life’s many pleasures are still small and accessible. The band has a new EP in the works, and will be playing Baby’s All Right on July 9th. – Jillian Dooley

With their debut, self titled LP, The Gradients have already forged a very strong sonic identity, one which can’t be easily labeled. The record takes us back to the days when XTC was still little more than a punk band (1979 circa), but already displayed all the talent in place to become what it became: one of the edgiest pop bands of all times. Like the British duo, The Gradients feature dual vocals (bassist Charlie DY and guitarist Luca Balser) with contrasting tones, and a songwriting attitude that privileges clever song developments, melodies and instrumental parts over familiar ones. Their album’s incredible consistency is the most promising asset here, which bodes well for their future; whatever alchemy they have in place right now should be nurtured and cherished. The band will be kicking off a US tour at Palisades on July 3rd – dates here. They will be joined by Brooklyn freak folk band The Cradle – another interesting group we’ll be blogging about soon.

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

Dreaming has always been a prerogative of the young. But seeing the raising wave of dreamy NYC based bands, we start to wonder if dreaming becomes a necessity for those who choose to settle in that post-industrial wasteland that is "non affluent Brooklyn." Or maybe it’s the other way around: would anobody who doesn’t have a dream to nurture settle in a place like Bushwick? Whichever the answer, that gray urban ugliness is producing many colorful psychedelic flowers. One of them is Pop and Obachan, a duo that, in just over a year of existence, released two EPs that show a radical metamorphoses – one that veers towards dreaminess. Their debut EP ‘Unfurl’ was a modest, sparse and sleepy alt folk record featuring just voice, ukelele and acoustic guitar. Its melodies and chord progressions owe a lot to the roots of American music. But this year’s ‘Dream Soup‘ sees the band entirely transformed – and for the better. An enriched instrumentation – now featuring also drum machine, keyboards and electric guitar – supports, through inventive arrangements, some truly imaginative and personal dream-pop songwriting. The highlights are opener ‘Holly’ and ‘Dry Land,’ with their impressionistic sound, beautifully whimsical melodies, and perfectly balanced production. If this is what "non affluent Brooklyn" can do to a band in one year, there’s definitely nothing wrong with it, no matter how expensive the rent is.

This band submitted their music for coverage here.

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

IOLA is the alt folk project of Norwegian songwriter Carey Sveen, who moved to the US as a child. Carey was inspired to pursue a career in music by the example of her grandmother, a country songwriter from the deep South, but her sound doesn’t owe much to that region’s twangy tendencies. We are excited to premiere single ‘Virginians’ (streaming) from IOLA’s upcoming debut album. An extremely peculiar love song about falling in love with her husband Charles (whom she just married), the track wonderfully balances tension and release, by alternating a whispered, playfully inquisitive verse (isn’t it love when…?) with a chorus that assertively asks for help ("I need you to tell me ’cause I really don’t know everything!"). The unanswered questions become like some kind of hidden lyrics, reminding us how torturing it is to love without knowing if we are loved back. Quite appropriately, an unexpected, semi-manic breakdown in the middle of the track doubles the tempo – and therefore the tension – only to return to the  initial, wondering verse. Don’t miss IOLA at the Slipper Room in Manhattan on July 2nd.

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best songs by emerging NYC songwriters and artists – check it out!

It would be interesting to have stats about what’s the percentage of indie bands that are still together after 2 or 3 years of existence: we are ready to bet that a majority of emerging bands doesn’t last one year. Brooklyn’s Mainland is a great example of what (should) happen to a band that manages to stick around for more than two years, while developing their sound: the songwriting becomes more mature, the sound more rounded out, the delivery more confident. Their new single ‘Outcast’ (streaming) raises above the ubiquitous "Brooklyn garage pop" sound, assuming the sonic characters of timeless pop. The single is the first tast from their debut album scheduled for an early 2016 releas.

It doesn’t seem too often that a band looks to rather campy pop culture and comes out with an album that moves. But that is exactly what Brooklyn rock quintet Howth does with their latest effort, "Trashy Milky Nothing Town," referencing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to tell stories of longing and comradeship. On songs such as "Superfreak!" (streaming below), which recalls Wilco’s "I’m Always in Love" with its spacey keys, Howth impressively achieves gravitas while alluding to the fantastical. The Ninja Turtles aren’t real but Trashy Milk Nothing Town gives them, and its listeners, palpable feeling. Howth plays Cake Shop on Wednesday, 7.1. – Zachary Weg, photo by Bryan Bruchman