"I can’t be everything you need / but maybe I could be a piece / if you just try with me," sings Katie Buchanan on her newest single "Stand with Me." The singer-songwriter is confident in her words and in her self-produced indie-pop arrangement. A reflective, yet upholding piano line accompanies the track and the percussive elements, dark bass and synths create a gorgeous, soothing alternative reality where the losing and the fighting and the picking-yourself-up is accepted and encouraged. "It’s the record’s thesis statement," says Buchanan, "and, in some ways, it’s mine." Buchanan’s new record Who We Are When We’re Standing is out June 9th, with a release show at Mercury Lounge on June 11th. – Geena Kloeppel

Being the first to blog about a talented emerging artist is the single most fulfilling thing for any music critic (only second to seeing that artist become huge!), and that’s what The Deli is all about. Buzzbands.la does a lot of breaking new bands too, and we are more than happy to point you in their direction for what is, in all likelihood, the first review for bicostal synth-pop band Drinker, the recording project of singer / songwriter Aaron Mendelsohn and producer/composer Ariel Loh. The fact that reputable NYC show organizers Pop Gun booked them for a show at Cape House in Brooklyn on June 30th comes as a further proof that this act has potential. Check out below the only single currently available for streaming, the melancholic synthetic ballad ‘Which Way Is South.’

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

If you understand music from a technical and creative angle, Brooklyn/Long Island duo Bangladeafy will, in all likelihood, blow your mind. We praised them enough already in this very blog blog (they placed 2nd in our Best of NYC 2017 Yearly Poll for emerging artists, and their 2016 album ‘Narcopaloma’ was our NYC Record of the Month in September of 2016). 

If you don’t know them yet, enjoy this little example of their instrumental prowess, and if you are into pedals, don’t miss this piece on Delicious Audio.

Queens rapper Deem Spencer conveys a vibe both rare and compelling. Though the beats sometimes feel under-produced, his approach feels honest and similarly candid. Deem doesn’t rap so much as tell it how it is. He’s melodic and raw; in the single “soap” from his sunflower EP, he croons “If I cared about some money I’d be in college wasting it. Hate itself a sin and I hate sinnin.” It is juxtapositions like this that crack open truths only discernible through poetry. Deem Spencer is the freshest laureate. We first blogged about Deem in October 2016, promoting an upcoming show at dive bar Don Pedro. In just over six months, the man worked his way to playing at The Knit on a Northside Fest Friday night, which rightfully earns him a Deli NYC "Buzz Alert!" – BrokeMc

Brooklyn indie-pop band The City and Horses makes music that’s both sensitive and urgent. Their records sound like a proverbial melting pot of influences, ranging from ’60s Britpop and disco to contemporary alt-rock. On "Shades," the opening track from their newest album, Ruins, verses comprised of ethereal, swelling synthesizers seamlessly merge into romping, major-key disco-esque choruses. On "Drag" (streaming below) the influence of Modest Mouse and Silver Jews can be heard in the song’s aura of twangy melancholy. The Deli recently spoke with lead songwriter Marc Cantone about the new album. You can catch TCAH on July 19th at the Gateway in Brooklyn. Listen to "Shades" here, and check out the Q&A they won thanks to The Music Building‘s Expose Yourself campaign, by following the link below! – Ethan Ames

Interview with The City and Horses.

The final night of The Hum 2017 (a series featuring female NYC musicians collaborating live organized by LPR presents and sponsored by The Deli NYC) reserves a truly spectacular line up that must not be missed. From The Blow‘s synth pop gems to Eartheater‘s haunting experimentation, the talent on display is remarkable and absolutely in line with what we here at The Deli expect from artists active in a scene famous for its edge. On the bill also indie pop sister duo Chaos Chaos, droney vocalist Deradoorian (of Dirty Projector fame), Miho Hatori of Cibo Matto and experimental artists Ikue Mori and Clarice Jensen.

Check out this awesome compilation of the songs by the artists in tonight’s bill we found on SoundCloud!

If you met Antonio Cuna, aka Sweater Beats, without a formal introduction, in all likelihood you wouldn’t think he’s one of NYC most successful DJ/Producers. Hailing from the Philippines via Maryland, Antonio belongs to the rare breed of musicians who are so hard working and talented that they don’t need to dress up (or pose) to impress. In the last decade Sweater Beats has been growing incessantly, with Antonio’s music, a contagious mix of dance, synth pop and R’n’B, becoming more and more viral. Notwithstanding the fact that in 2017 he’s been touring incessantly, we managed to ask yhim a few questions about his musical project. – Check out his latest single "Alstar" (streaming below) and read the Q&A here.

To promote our new, uber-fantastic DIY NYC live listings section (check it out, you can post your show for free here – it will then appear also on our NYC homepage 2-3 days before the event’s date!), we are highlighting some of the artist that already used this nifty tool.

God Tiny is a quintet that pulls off blues rock remarkably well – which ain’t easy, because it’s a genre that, due to its limited harmonic palette, can get boring easily. The Brooklyn band, though, in particular in single "Cosmos" is able to create an engaging, tense, and imaginative psychedelic arrangement, enhanced by powerful riffs and gorgously gritty distorted guitars. The vocals deserve a particular mention too, as they soar above the sea of instruments with a tone and flair reminiscent young Robert Plant. If they can pull all of this off live when they play The knit on 05.26, the audience will be in for a treat. Check out track "Revolution Run" streaming below.

The truly insane bands that last more than a few months are often the ones that deliver creatively satisfying records later in their career, when the mayhem of their youthful and disruptive energy gets moderated by a more grown-up search for… a meaning? Brand new single ‘The String Game by Guerrilla Toss (streaming below) seems to suggest precisely this development. The song channels the band’s creativity and innate restlessness in more cerebral ways than they got us used to, which could also be seen as a consequence of their move to brainy NYC (where the band relocated last year from New England). The production here is truly spectacular, with fragments of guitar and synths building an arrangement that’s at once fun and totally unique. The band just released their new LP ‘GT ULTRA‘ – don’t miss the record release party on June 24th at Sunnyvale.