While half of Brooklyn was banging away in besotted bedroom crawlspaces cobbling some amalgam of an avant-noise post-rock electro-gaze masterpiece, Arc Waves broke the code. In The Sound The Circle, to be released November 17th, bandmates Elaine Lachica, Brandon Jaffe, Mike Hodges and Joe Beach pulled out all the wires in their machine in order to construct a more perfect heart for their music. Elements of Deerhoof and Mogwai are readily apparent in their tone and color, but the vibrant and meticulous production distinguishes them as more than just another laptop fart bubble. Recorded at Rare Book Room Studios (Deerhunter, War On Drugs, Wye Oak) in Brooklyn, The Sound The Circle was engineered, mixed and co-produced by Gabe Wax (Here We Go Magic, Beirut, Palehound). The record release party is scheduled for Novamber 16 at Pianos. – BrokeMc

The beginning of the second millennium will probably be remembered by music critics for the realization that soul lent itself to be pushed in new, more or less experimental directions. In the early aughts, a genre that was frowned upon by the tense and brainy children of the post-punk generation was given a new "indie legitimacy" by acts like TV on the Radio, Dirty Projector and Ava Luna. NYC collective Space Captain, the brainchild of Maralisa Simmons-Cook, is part of this wave, although within less noisy coordinates than the aforementioned bands. Born in 2015 as a rather traditional soul-jazz group (this is their debut EP), in a few months the band quickly evolved into a rather different animal: 2016’s "In Memory" EP shows edgy electronic arrangements focused on textural and ambient soundscapes. The band is about to release their debut full length "All Flowers In Time," and the record’s two preview singles showcase a partial return to the live instrumentation of the debut, without losing the edge of unexpected melodies, parts and song changes found in "In Memory." Check out the video for Sycamore below, and don’t miss the band’s record release party at Union Pool on October 27th.

By booking for Halloween night an intensely emotional, not-scary-at-all band like Hodera, this year the Mercury Lounge is certainly "thinking outside the box." On the the other hand, though, the New Jersey based quartet is pretty much guaranteed to fill the small Lower East Side venue, since their quality brand of post- Americana has been making ears turn since their 2015 debut album "United by Birdcalls." Breakout single "Breathe Easy" (streaming below) showcases their ability to merge inventive arrangements and personal lyrics wilthin a more traditional alt rock formula. This year’s brand new sophomore LP "First Things First" is a work whose consistency confirms a band at its peak (check out single "North Dakota", also streaming). The Mercury gig will serve as the band’s release show in the city. Also on the bill, more "Halloween appropriate" locals like Peaer and A Deer A Horse.

We don’t know for sure if the name of Brooklyn band Sooner was inspired by My Bloody Valentine’s seminal track ‘Soon,’ but we think it’s extremely likely that the British band from the ’90s had its fair share of influence on their sound. The New Yorkers offer a more muted approach to the shoegazer formula, mostly built on John Farris’ electric guitar parts, which build from intricate arpeggios to slightly overdriven chords, and the cloud of reverb surrounding them. Federica Tassano’s  placid vocal melodies complete this gentle sonic picture, supported by a tight and clean rhythm section. The band will be playing Alphaville on 10.28.

New music seekers,

We have a brand new issue of The Deli NYC available online for you – and it’s a gooooood one, can read it here! 

We are super thrilled to have new DFA Records signee Guerilla Toss on the cover (check out their wonderful single "Skull Pop") streaming below.

This is also our yearly electronic issue, linked to the upcoming Brooklyn Synth Expo, and therefore features:

– An article about the state of the electronic scene in NYC,
– Several Q&As with other electronic NYC artists,
– An ample section dedicated to the gear participating in the Synth Expo.

The paper version will be distributed in NYC around October 20th. 

Enjoy!

The Folks at The Deli

A shiver runs down our spines every time we read the words "self-directed video," in particular when applied to artists that play musical genres that require top notch production values (like soul music). But in the case of NYC’s soul-pop artist Raveena (previously known as Raveena Aurora) our premonitions were proved wrong. With the help of director James Ronkko, the artist of Indian and American descent created a simple, but truly beautiful video that matches the breezy, lightheartedly intimate vibes of her single "Sweet Time." A woman of many talents, Raveena not only looks incredibly comfortable in front of the camera, but also supports her art with commitment to social causes rarely found in soul pop acts. A debut EP is scheduled to be released at some point soon.

There’s a certain overarching sweetness that consumes the Denver/New York-based group, Strawberry Runners, but a close listen will reveal a far more complicated sound. The pop-driven arrangements and saccharine melodies support lyrics filled with darkness -a juxtaposition that’s at once uplifting and upsetting. The band is about to release a new EP entitled "In the Garden, In the Night," with a show at Trans Pecos on October 21st. Emi Night, the singing-songwriting force behind this project, is very much into stompboxes and our friends at Delicious Audio asked her some questions about it.

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

Pill’s fourth release to date, entitled ‘Aggressive Advertising,’ seconds the axiom according to which crazy sounding bands that manage to stick together only get better with time. The Brooklyn quartet’s earth shattering, saxophone-armed brand of noise/math rock finds a new musicality and maturity, both in devilishly aggressive tracks like "Empathizer (Rat in the Box)" (streaming), and more spacious numbers like "Side Eye" (streaming), which manages to blend a variety of disparate influences, including Morricone’s cinematic guitars, Naked City’s unexcpeted sonic assaults and Fugazi’s stilish, bass driven post-hardcore. The band, led by screamer in chief Veronica Torres, is a force to be reckoned with when on stage, so don’t miss their upcoming shot at Baby’s All Right on October 19th.

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

If an artist suddenly climbs our "NYC New Bands With Buzz" charts (look around on this page, you’ll find it), there’s always a reason. It happened this month to Brooklyn based dreamy songwriter Cape Francis, whose record release show we recently previewed in this very blog. In this circumstance, what pushed the project of Kevin Olken Henthorn to the top of that list is the fact that he made the cover of Spotify’s popular weekly playlist Fresh Finds (the playlist gets erased and updated weekly, so you won’t find Cape Francis in this week’s list of tracks). Congrats Kevin! 

Cape Francis is scheduled to perform tonight in the East Village at Berlin and on November 10 at Bushwick’s C’Mon Everybody.

It is rare to stumble upon emerging artists who have the ability to convey intensity and emotion with only their voices and a few instruments – NYC/DC chanteuse Odetta Hartman possesses this skill. Inspired by old-timey country and anything rootsy, Odetta alternatively injects doses of tension, mystery and – always – oozes of character in anything she performs. With her latest original release (the 222 EP) dating back to 2015, we are owed some new material. In the meantime, you can see her live at Rough Trade on 10.14.

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

With biting vocals and powerful songwriting chops, Brooklyn (via Oakland, CA) Rachel Angel radiates effortless cool. In her 2014 debut EP Revelations the indie rocker serves up tracks that are as catchy as they are sincere, but you never feel as if she’s tipping all of her cards. She recently unveiled a stripped down two-song demo featuring a folkier sound. Edgy, poignant, and immediately compelling, Angel is one to watch – you’ll have an opportunity to do so at The Owl on October 6th. – Olivia Sisinni

Poppies have managed to gain a generous following with their introspective, melodic sound. Singer/guitarist May’s childlike, delicate vocals, perfectly blend with the band’s enigmatic, dreamy instrumentals. The quartet recently unveiled a new video for single ‘Devin’ (streaming below). Our friends at Delicious Audio wanted to dig in to the band’s sound and story, you can read the Q&A at the link below. Their next show is at Mercury Lounge on October 9th.

Q&A with Brooklyn band Poppies.