Backwords belong to that thin layer of Brooklyn bands that can be defined as "lifers" – which is a perfect word for a career in music, since there are always times when it feels like a life sentence to shit earnings. The band, active since 2008, has reportedly played over 300 shows in the US on as many as 55 different stages in NYC alone, and received a fair amount of coverage in this blog. We are premiering here their preview single "Gloria" (streaming below), from upcoming LP ‘Nest,’ which reveals a more mature sound, as if their friendly psych folk had exchanged some friendliness for power and some lightheartedness for depth. Recorded in the dead of summer, with minimal overdubs, in a large open warehouse space in Sunset Park, Brooklyn "Nest" is an album of growth, openness, and change, from a band that knows the Brooklyn indie scene like few others. ‘Nest’ will be out on September 16, the release party is scheduled for 09.20 at Baby’s All Right.

Super young NYC popsters Mainland impressed us a few days ago at our 10 year anniversary show at Brooklyn Bazaar, when they opened for Drowners (here’s some coverage of the night courtesy of Impose). The band just released this new video for their catchy single ‘Shiner.’ They’ll be playing the TriBeCa Grand Hotel tonight (08.12).

Jam bands, improvisational music classes and Philip Glass’ five-hour opera “Einstein on the Beach” are just a few of the unexpected influences cited by The Deli’s Best of NYC Emerging Band of 2013 – i.e. punk outfit Big Ups, who graced the cover of our spring 2014 issue. In fact, the group – known for chaotic live performances and a sound that recalls classic 80s hardcore and 90s post-hardcore – are not hesitant to admit that some of them used to listen to Phish or that they don’t really consider themselves a punk band. The band is currently touriong Europe, which has so far been more receptive to their sound than their home country.

LINKS:
– Bill Dvorak’s interview with Big Ups
– The Deli’s coverage of Big Ups
– The Deli’s playlist of the best punk/slacker rock emerging NYC bands

Among the plethora of Brooklyn indie bands these days stands out Control Group, a refreshingly clean-sounding, catchy rock outfit with infectious tunes for those who enjoy simple, unpretentious and somewhat muscular indie rock. They’ve just released a Modest Mouse & Yuck-esque new single called ‘The Sky Is The Same’ which you can listen to here. It’s taken from their upcoming album ‘Hot Swap’, which is due out on Sept 16. And if you’re near Pianos on 8/21, check out their show. –Michael Haskoor (@Tweetskoor)

Tomorrow, August 12th, Father/Daughter Records will officially release Rivergazer’s first full-length album, “Random Nostalgia.” Rivergazer is the moniker of songwriter Kevin Farrant (also guitarist in Porches), who enlisted producer Hunter Davidsohn and musician Kolson Pickard to craft a sound worthy of road tripping and soul searching. Farrant couldn’t have thought of a more fitting title for the collection; while he rarely offers up names of people or places he sings about, he surely lets their presence overwhelm the listener through his suggestive lyrics. The album is dreamy at heart, but Kevin’s earthy vocals, his heartbreaking lyrical imagery and the songs’ recurring twangyness veer it towards a decidedly alt folk direction. Listen to our favorite piece “Lonely” and be sure to catch the release next week. – Jillian Dooley

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

Featured as a duo on the cover of the 21st issue of The Deli back in 2009, Brooklyn Glass Ghost is about to release their sophomore album ‘LYFE’ in September. This is a luxurious and mellow pop record full of orchestral instruments and electronic textures, and features a rotating cast of noteworthy NYC musicians, from Dirty Projector’s Nat Baldwin and Mike Johnson, to Joan Wasser of Joan As Police Woman and Brian Betancourt of Hospitality, to name a few. Brainchild of keyboardist/songwriter Eliot Krimsky and his peculiar alto, the band seems to be doing well as far as the quality of their fan base is concerned (Sharon Van Etten said Eliot is one of her favorite songwriters), but can otherwise be called one of Brooklyn’s best kept secrets. Stream below their beautifully lazy latest single ‘Triangle.’

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

In the midst of recording their newest album, pop trio Hey Anna is set to release their single “By the Bay (La Revolucion)” and will celebrate with a performance at Mercury Lounge tonight, August 8th.  Fronted by the three eclectic Rauch-Sasseen sisters, the single follows self-titled EP “Hey Anna” and their more recent “Pompette,” both short collections of energetic pop layered with quirky synths and dissonant harmonies.  Crafting intricate vocal layers like only sisters can, the girls are bringing unabashed joy to the Brooklyn music scene, and we are loving their energy. Be sure to come party with the band tonight, and watch their video for our favorite Pompette track “Dance Until Three” here. – Jillian Dooley

Next Tuesday, August 12th, Folding Legs will unleash their second EP, simply entitled “Glorious”. The collection will follow their debut “Drown in Light,” which was released last year and received a lot of attention from the ‘indie’ blogs, Deli included. Fronted by songstress Katharina Stenbeck and her arresting vocals, the band is a worldly bunch – they hail from NYC, Stockholm, and Vienna, and manage to incorporate influences from each region into their sophisticated, borderline decadent pop sound. Their newest release comes complete with 80’s dance beats, grungy bass lines, and some charming vocal shrieks from the front lady. Listen to the preview single ‘Grounding’ and be sure to watch out for the release of the remaining tracks next week. Catch the band live at Pianos on August 19. – Jillian Dooley

Weyes Blood‘s latest intense ballads and haunting melodies – something we experienced live at our NYC B.E.A.F. this past June – will be gathered in the project’s sophomore official album (but fourth if we include self released CDRs and cassetes), entitled "The Innocents," and released on Mexican Summer on October 21. This is the project of chanteause Natalie Mering, a young lady with a towering confidence and a jaw dropping voice, who only allows a beat up acoustic guitar and an old cassette recorder to accompny her on stage. Check out the first preview single from the album, "Hang On," streaming below. See Weyes Blood live at Baby’s All Right on August 10th and 22nd.

With a sound that merges pop nostalgia, art-rock and punk, Dreamers is the new project of Brooklyn songwriter Nick Wold – the main songwriting force of now defunct group Motive. The trio, in preparation of its debut album, has just released this video for first single ‘Wolves,’ a song that emerges via a clean, sharp-plucked guitar line, sharing a textural quality with fellow Brooklynites Beach Fossils and Diiv. Those similarities quickly disappear as their vocal style and lyrical storytelling approach leans more towards a more straight forward form of pop. A classic tale of boy pursues girl is played out from the hunters point of view. “Still I’ll chase you down – to the place you hide – couldn’t keep away” anchors the desperately heroic bridge. “You got me brain washed you got me so lost,” is how the dominant lyrical hook goes. “You got me undone – falling in love with you.” Coming to the ultimate conclusion that “if you lie down with wolves, you learn to howl.” The song captures that crazy in love feeling with an idealized image of someone that is equally exhilarating and gut-wrenchingly devastating. Additional sonic textures like synths in place of guitars during the swirling, vocal enhanced bridge, effectively serve the big dramatic conclusion. Dreamers played their debut show at Pianos last night (08.05).   – Dave Cromwell

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