Easy Lover, the project of multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Wimmer and singer Kali Holloway, is another very interesting dream-soul act to come out of NYC. The duo makes a lot from a little, keeping their sound deceivingly minimal, but epic at the same time (like if Beach House had come out with a workout tape in the 1980s). The arrangements are mostly electronic but feature droney guitar elements linking back to early TV On The Radio, with plenty of space for Kali’s soulful voice to take over.

Sophisticated, mysterious, spacious… their latest EP ‘The Night We Breathe’ is all these things. Check out the truly intriguing video for "Bleary Eyed" below and listen to their tropicalia-laced, synth jam ‘The Sweet’ here. You can also see them when they play at 15 Anthony St. in Brooklyn with Silent Drape Runners on Saturday, April 20th. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

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

We thought the Chillwave… wave was on its way out, but maybe it was just the winter – there’s no point in releasing that kind of records when it’s cold, right? The first seasonal sun has triggered the release of the third (solid) album by the precursors of the genre (Real Estate), while, on the "new arrivals" side of things, Brooklyn’s Little Racer has just celebrated the release of a debut 6 tracks (what’s that, a Mini-LP?) entitled "Modern Accent" with a show at Baby’s All Right this past Saturday. Surf, new wave and dream pop influences chase each other in this very enjoyable collection of songs, which also reference occasionally to legendary British artists like The Jesus & Mary Chain and the Madchester bunch ("Vanessa" sounds almost like a reinterpretation of The Stone Roses’ "I Wanna Be Adored"). This is a very consistent release that might improve the quality of your late spring and summer months – and beyond! See Little Racer live at Pianos on April 25. – photo credit: Abigail Smithson

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

Connecticut/NYC-based Ula Ruth have the makings of a classic Heartland brand of rock n’ roll, equally parts comforting and always in style, like that old pair of jeans you just pulled out of your closet to wear again this Spring. Merging alt-country with a penchant for large rock anthems, the quartet has just released their sophomore record ‘Restless Nights,’ revealing a larger sound to jump around to on stage (and plenty of room for frontman Nicholas James to stretch his pipes), while still keeping things rough around the edges.

See the video for Let Down below, and discover how to bake shitty tasting steaks and very messy (and possibly poisonous) cupcakes. Then catch them live when they play Rockwood Music Hall at 10pm Sat, April 19th. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

PremRock, formerly Premonition, has been through the gamut from nyc stages to showcases worldwide. His new album, ‘A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,’ speaks to the places he’s been and the procession of friendly couches and hotel rooms he’s graced on the way. The beats bang with ferocious fervor echoing the MCs indelible tenacity. PremRock is a talented storyteller and he needs a clean, well-lighted place to spin his yarns. He moves easily from a back and forth exposition about a troubled youth in “Criminal Childish” to a philosophical introspection on the price of one’s dreams in “Juliet has Survived.” Rife with thoughtful jewels and trunk-knocking rhythms, this ‘Place’ is a welcome addition to Prem’s already impressive catalog. He celebrates the release tonight at Spike Hill in Williamsburg at 8pm.

Life Size Maps recently released this video in lo-fi digital style for their single "This Same House," – check it! The band had a residency at Pianos in March. 

[Streaming content removed upon request of the artist, listen to Life Size Maps here]

Who says you can’t find gritty rock soul in New York anymore? For The Nepotist, they’ve made our town home to the sound of Delta blues, tied with a bow to the down-home hard-hitting rock that The Black Keys are mixed up with, and screwed tight with a groove that could only come from a pair of musicians who have been working together for some time now. For these two brothers, the songs come naturally, with enough feel between them each to even do a pretty convincing cover of Bill Withers’ ‘Ain’t No Sunshine.’ Check out latest track and video ‘Firehouse’ below (it’s a Deli premiere!), and join them when they play Cameo Gallery on Thu, Apr 17th. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

This band submitted their music for coverage here.

There’s quite a bit more to NYC folk music than the uninitiated might think. Musician, show organizer, and ex Deli distro van driver extraordinaire Alex Borsody has managed to bring a bunch of divergent folk sub-sub-genres together for Psychedelix Americana for a two night show at the Bell House on April 11/12 . From Gangstagrass‘ hip-hop flavored folk jams, to Andy Statman‘s legendary flame-throwing mandolin playing, to honky-tonk cover ladies Your Ex-Girlfriends, and West Coast alt-country guests New Riders of the Purple Sage, this show features it all. Even Alex will be joining in, with his own unique take on Folk with his band, Union Street Preservation Society. Other bands on the bill include, Scott Metzger, DEJ Superjam, Melody Allegra Band, Bennett Sullivan, Astrograss Plays John Hartford, King Stork, Chris Q Murphey, Seth Kessell and The Alex Mallett Band.  The show is sponsored by Relix Magazine and yours truly The Deli Rag.

Get on over to the Bell House Fri-Sat, April 11-12, and find out how much there is to NYC’s myriad roots and Americana scene – ticket pre sale here. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Brooklyn via Chicago trio Unicycle Loves You enjoys toying around with oodles of distorted guitars and vocals as if they were the next The Jesus & Mary Chain – and maybe they are! Their approach is definitely more garagey and upbeat, but the musical concept is not too dissimilar from the one the Reid brothers successfully proselytized in the late 80s: conceal great pop songs under several layers of droney, grating guitar sounds and feedback. Check out preview single "Falling Off’ from the band’s upcoming fourth album "The Dead Age" (scheduled for a June release) and see them live at Cake Shop on April 17 with Steel Phantoms, High Waisted, and D.A. Stern & The Sanctuaries.

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

Oscar Wilde’s quote "I can resist anything but temptations" can be applied both to Ejecta‘s new video for single "Eleanor Lye" (will the nudity "convince" you to watch it?) and… to this post’s title. But hey, we think we earned the right to use that cheapish headline, because we totally predicted this kind of unveiling in our previous post about the Brooklyn duo, who famously promoted their debut LP through a series of au naturel pictures of lead singer Leanne Macomber advertised/posted on Pitchfork. Ok, we’ll admit it, wasn’t that hard to guess. But we are truly wondering how well this promotional idea is working for the band, and how much is actually distracting people (dudes in particular) from their music. For example – as you can see from this post – we are completely distracted. Ejecta is currently touring with Sleigh Bells. Check out the new video here (you may not want to watch it if you are in a public place).

Brooklyn trio Jerkagram, formed by twin brothers Brent & Derek Gaines, brings you a special blend of post hardcore, math rock, post rock and ambient. Their twisting, seductively repetitive riffs are arousing and hypnotizing at once. They released their debut LP titled ‘Let’s Talk About Us’ last month and it features a fair amount of laid back tunes to kick back to (at least until the menacing guitar build up wakes you up). An exception to the rule is single "Animal Magnetism," a punchy math-rock gem that concedes no rest for the ears – check it out below. – Michael Haskoor (@Tweetskoor)

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

denitia and sene. – besides being an editor’s nightmare, with their lower case name and period at the end of it – were probably the best live act at our 2013 CMJ Marathon electronic showcase at The Delancey. The Brooklyn duo plays music that – if hard pressed – we would label as "trip’n’b," with many similarities to Tricky’s early records without the rap component or the British artist’s insane ‘bakedness’. They just unveiled this dark video for single "Divided," a single that was produced by twin brother producers Christian Rich (Pharrell Williams/N.E.R.D, Pusha T, Lupe Fiasco) as part of a Red Bull Sound Select mentor collaboration.

Notwithstanding a name that – alone – will confine them to the deepest layers of the underground for the rest of their days, NJ/Brooklyn punks Vomitface aren’t actually that revolting. The power trio celebrated the release of their debut 4 song EP at Cake Shop on March 28, and we are diggin’ it. Single "Bill Me Later" is an enjoyable punk-pop tune that manages to blend (or rather skillfully juxtapose) diametrically opposite genres like math rock (see verse in 6/4) and slacker rock (see the melodic verse reminiscent of early Pavement) with a grunge chorus in there to wrap up the 90s references. The other track available for streaming, "P.S. I Hate You" follows a more traditional modern-punk-rock script, with incessant power chords and growingly angry vocals feeding a crescendo of tension that lasts a whopping one minute and 15 seconds. These guys should be fun live and you have many opportunities to check them out locally in the near future. Next shows are at Lamp Post in Jersey City on 04.24 and Shea Stadium the day after.

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