A few weeks ago we blogged about Ex Cops‘ new album, out on NYC’s Downtown Records. They just dropped this video for single ‘Black Soap,’ check it out! Expect a strong presence at the upcoming CMJ Music Marathon for these guys.

We really enjoyed Walking Shapes‘s first single Pusher, which came out in 2013, and we were quite eagerly waiting for new material. So far in 2014 the band raised their profile by playing a series of important shows (including a packed one at Music Hall of W’burg) and delivering new single "Feel Good" (video streaming) that didn’t disappoint, shifting their left-to-center sound slightly more to the center. The Brooklyn quintet plays a brand of avant pop vaguely reminiscent of Here We Go Magic for its impressionistic quality and alto male vocals, but doesn’t mind the occasional burst of distorted guitars, like testified by recent track Woah Tiger – another quality tune. 

Full disclosure: The Deli’s staff’s survival is entirely dependent on Syd Barret influenced music – this passion served us well when we decided to put Grizzly Bear on the cover of our 1st issue of the Deli NYC back in 2004. Prince Rupert’s Drops is a psych rock Brooklyn band that takes the listeners through a sonic trip encompassing all sorts of psychedelic influences: from the early days of British Psych Rock to Acid Rock to Paysley Underground. After releasing their debut album in 2012, the band is back with a series of live shows, hopefully signaling the coming of a new release. The played Union Pool a couple of days ago and will appear on stage again at Baby’s All Right on August 29, giving all of us a great opportunity for some vintage trippin’!

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

Jesse Marchant’s upcoming album, to be released on 9/9, leaves nothing left unsaid. The record is self-titled in the spirit of Marchant’s shift from moniker “JBM” to his own full name, and the tracks are an obvious reflection of this new found ownership of self. The collection offers the artist’s twangy baritone atop a poised acoustic guitar and a driven, at times hasty rhythm section that moves the tracks along. Lyrically, each of the eleven songs is accompanied by the spirit of a man who is moving onwards and upwards from heartbreak and disappointment, and it is this spirit that gives the compilation its soul. Listen to our favorite of the bunch “All Your Promise” here and keep an ear out for the upcoming release. – Jillian Dooley

On Wednesday, August 27th, Ruby My Dear will celebrate the official release of their forthcoming EP – from which they’ve already unveiled the single “Balloons” (streaming) – with a show at Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn. While the bandmates hail from everywhere from Australia to New Jersey, they’ve settled down in New York City (of all places!), where they’ve been honing and perfecting their mellow electronic pop. Fronted by Aussie vocalist Gabbi Coenen, the quintet takes a rather experimental approach to their jazz-infused tracks, and the resulting sound is both eccentric and intriguing. It will be interesting to see the band translate their layered sonics onto the stage in a few weeks. If you like “Balloons,” don’t miss the release party at Glasslands on 08.27 with other talented local bands Throw Vision, Tiny Hazard, and recent Deli Artist of the Month Altopalo. – Jillian Dooley

Often referred to as Brooklyn’s best kept (pop punk) secret, Up For Nothing blend the flare of the local scene with that infectious, driving pop punk rhythm that we’re all so familiar with. The band’s lead singer Justin Conigliaro, fronts the four-piece band with fast, raspy vocals. They’ve been around for over a decade, yet still remain under the radar, in a good, punk rock kinda way. They just released a new all-acoustic album last month titled ‘Responses,’ but check out the track ‘This Moment’ from their 2013 EP ‘In Trance’ below to really get a feel for their Bouncing Souls fused with One Man Army sound. Catch them this Saturday 8/16 at Peggy O’Neill’s in Brooklyn. – Michael Haskoor

We got to know Brooklyn electronic duo Kodacrome earlier this year through our Best of 2013 poll for emerging NYC artists. The band’s clean, dark and sophisticated electro sound stood out in the contest’s open submissions. Their debut EP showcased six enjoyable and solidly produced tracks and one single (‘The Bug‘) that made it into our Best of NYC Electro playlist. The biggest challenge for an emerging band is to follow up a quality debut with a record that’s as good, and we are pleased to report that Kodacrome, in their debut LP ‘Aftermath‘ (released on July 29) keeps faith to its promises. Their soberly teutonic, essential and pragmatic electro perfectly suits the gorgeosly sultry but slightly detached vocals of Elissa LeCoque, even when things get a little playful and syncopated like in single ‘Immaculata’ (streaming).

We’ve recently stumbled upon the self-titled EP of New York’s Boy Morgan, an elusive rock band that has reemerged after their 2012 release with frequent performances around the city. Musicians Morgan King, Fowzy Butt, Ben Trokan, Nadir Naqvi, and Mitchell Wareham are getting back into the local rock scene and working hard to get their music into the ears of NYC fans. The group’s sounds are so nostalgic, listeners can’t help but compare them to a popular band of the 60’s you might know, from The Kinks to The Beatles. – Jillian Dooley

It may surprise you to learn that Brooklyn’s Ishmael operates as a trio, considering the kinetic charge of their latest LP “Lotic.” There’s Andy Werle’s sinewy guitar part, the insistent and shapeshifting drumming of Aaron Silberstein, and the leading melodies of Nick Otte, bassist and vocalist, tying it all together. Each member is an avalanche onto himself, but they do a great job not burying one another. And while “Lotic” is ostensibly a prog album, the band never looses a sense of subtlety. The songs are split into different instrumental sections, interludes of angular movement, but the transitions within the songs are never jarring. Instead they melt into each other. The result is a tastefully arranged foray into the genre, both its light and darker sides. Ishmael plays it’s tour kickoff show tonight at Muchomre’s (8.14) with Slim Charles, Mosey Jones, and Lost Love. – Emilio Herce

Cantina is the Italian word for "cellar," the dark and rather cold place where time, wood, air and silence magically transorfm tedious grape juice into inebriating, delicious wine. Cantina is also the name of Renata Zeiguer’s growing musical project, a band so quiet that one could say it flirts with silence, and so charming and dreamy to sound magic. Their seven track debut EP ‘Horizons‘ opens with airy ballad ‘When Your Eyes,’ that sounds like an irresistible siren call coming out of an old wooden gramophone, where a lush, acoustic arrangement slowly overwhelms a melody so pristine it could only be conceived in the the squalid corners of Bushwick. All we can gather from the lyrics is: "and if you ask me to…" – which is really all a siren should say to a hungover NYC-life sailor. The rest of the record offers similar atmospheres, althought at times more upbeat (‘Stay Like This’) and more electric (‘Fields’) but always dominated by Renata’s celestial soprano and her otherworldly melodies, and well supported by an unobtrusive musical background that perfectly serves each song.

The band has gathered some serious attention from local bookers: Cantina is schedlued to play Glasslands on 08.16, Palisades on 09.18 and Mercury Lounge on 10.16. 

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

After an initial burst on the local music scene in the mid-to-late 2000’s, New York’s The Dead Betties went on a lengthy hiatus in pursuit of individual growth. They now return with a new EP featuring single “The Way We Live Now” (streaming below). Crunchy guitar chords over a busy kick and resonant snare drum pattern create an immediate sense of urgency. “Never ever going to let you hold me down” is the initial vocal declaration, as guitars drop out and shift focus on a solid bass rumble. Lead singer–bassist Joshua Ackley’s original melody and impressive vocal range helps the band move beyond the constraints of the punk rock genre. Thematically the song draws its inspiration from Susan Sontag’s short story about the struggle for civil rights. The single release also contains two original b-sides as well as three unique cover versions of songs by Babes in Toyland, Britney Spears and Madonna! Not what you’d expect from a hard rock band, but the interpretations actually work. – Dave Cromwell

The guys in NY/NJ’s Wyldlife seem to have time traveled back to a few decades ago when The Clash where refining punk rock and Joan Jett and others were making it commercially viable, proudly planting their sound in that era, while enhancing it with an attitude vaguely reminiscent of Mr. Mick Jagger. If you are a fan of that kind of energy and haven’t heard their 2013 album ‘The Time Has Come to Rock & Roll’ then you really need to catch up.  Every song in there is a leather jacket-wearing, beer drinking, early 70s trashy party of its own. After the band made our list of "Best Emerging NYC Bands 2013" in January, we were able to get some insight from them on what’s coming next. Read Michael Haskoor interview with Wyldlife.