Spritzer lives up to its eponymous beverage: fun, bubbly, yet intoxicating just the same. The side-project of Friend Roulette’s Matt Meade, Spritzer serves as the vehicle for the artist’s more traditionally pop experimentation. Yet, Spritzer’s vibe doesn’t feel so stuffy as that. The music is of a refreshing vintage, featuring groovy bass lines and a very welcome horn section. Spritzer’s upcoming LP Love. Lies. Decay. promises even more inebriation and retro vibes, so make sure to celebrate its release on 04.25 at Elsewhere or catch it out on Paper Garden Records, 04.27. —Amanda Ogea

Whiner are this generation’s goth kids. Their melancholic lyrics are tempered by a glam-soul sensibility, while driving drums and dream guitar hooks work to keep their songs from being too saturated in emotion. Indeed, Whiner’s unique blend of genres creates a sound centered on the strength of both not caring and caring too much. If you can’t get enough of their addictive artistry, you’re in luck. Whiner will be performing in a Sunnyvale residency every Tuesday in April, headlining shows with emerging artists. – Amanda Ogea

LANZ, the solo project of Beirut’s multi-instrumentalist Benjamin Lanz, just unveiled single “Auckland,” from upcoming LP Hofferlanz II. Revealing an "avant" approach to pop, the track features unpredictable hooks built across a framework of drum machines, and both acoustic and electric guitars. Though the new album maintains LANZ’s signature edgy style, the songwriting seems to be moving towards a more comfortably pop aesthetic with indecipherable lyrics. Make sure to check out the Cyd Charisse-inspired video for “Auckland” while waiting for the Hofferlanz II debut on April 13th.–Amanda Ogea

Oh Malô’s newest single is full of a dark, frenetic energy that quickly becomes trance-inducing. It’s a welcome new sound for the band, one that shows a more mature vision of the core elements from 2016’s As We Were. The music is as expansive as ever, but the act exchanged their former delicacy for the darkness and tension that comes with a more industrial aesthetic – it’s an evolution we find very exciting. Check out Oh Malô at Alphaville alongside the dream-pop duo Lillet Blanc, on  March 26th.– Amanda Ogea

Michael Rocketship’s debut LP is an adventure in tension. The Meaning of Love juggles playful synths and vocals with an intimate exploration of alienation, a theme grounded in the artist’s return to Brooklyn from the West Coast. The album’s premiere video for “Smith, St. John and Pierre” is a great example of Michael Rocketship’s aesthetic given its jaunty synth-driven melody alongside a cardboard puppet that travels through a collage of history. Enjoy this taste of The Meaning of Love now and catch the release show on 04.06 at The Nest. – Amanda Ogea

Erica Eso is an art-pop experiment in genre.  Seductive RNB vocals melt into dream-pop soundscapes, powered by shocks of synthy discord. The music is curious but compelling. Their newly released single, “Love-gun,” feels like a slow, surreal seduction (a feeling thoroughly replicated in its accompanying music video) while the album’s eponymous single “129 Dreamless GMG” is a flurry of microtonality. Erica Eso promises to entertain listeners with further collapses in genre with the rest of 129 Dreamless GMG, which will have its release party at Alphaville, 03.15. —Amanda Ogea

Olden Yolk’s music bursts into paisley waves of freak folk splendor. Their upcoming self-titled LP focuses their aesthetic through a fish-eye lens, shaping a more mature sound that fully utilizes Caity Shaffer’s dark, velvety vocals (her band-mate Shane Butler also sings in the album). Shaffer’s voice mesmerizes best in Olden Yolk’s newly released video for “Vital Sign,” an homage that evokes Nico, Twiggy, and technicolor visions of the ‘60s. Sink into Olden Yolk’s wonderland with 02.23’s LP premiere and a performance at Union Pool on 02.24. — Amanda Ogea

Sun Voyager is a heavy-psych trio that gets it right. These fuzz freaks drag the psych genre back to its gritty roots, all the while using each song in their upcoming LP to subtly experiment with sister genres. The tracks are fresh (fresher than Sun Voyager’s bongwater, at least) and at the perfect lengths. For these guys there’s no need for pretentious half-hour anthems though – which, considering the band’s groovy setup, wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. Get your preorder in for “Seismic Vibes,” their forthcoming album from King Pizza Records out on 04.20. —Amanda Ogea

Wild Americans’ 2016 EP lighten up is a psychedelic experiment in Americana, the result of which is their vision of "relaxed funk" – and theior music carries a certain groove, indeed. The band, however, keeps you from getting too comfortable for too long, however. Guitar-driven nostalgia is kept on its toes with groovy hooks and an unexpected vocal range (especially in “Loser Freaks”).  The artists’ music reflects their name: a celebration of youth and freedom as well as a connection to the past. Check out Wild Americans’ single release at the Brooklyn Bowl on 01.29. –Amanda Ogea 

Nation of Language’s vision of the New Wave aesthetic feels seamlessly natural, a continuation of 1980’s synthpop instead of just an experiment in nostalgia. The band has an advantage of hindsight that their musical inspirations did not, a position that allows Nation of Language to freely experiment in the nuanced area between New Wave and post-punk. Yet, the real delight that sets apart this group are Ian Devaney’s vocals. Devaney’s wistful crooning comes with a romantic dark side that cannot be ignored. Check out Nation of Language at Elsewhere (Zone One), 02.06. —Amanda Ogea

Ellen O synthesizes her training as a classical pianist with an affinity for hip hop and trap to forge a fresh sounding chillwave blend. The artist’s experimental fusion creates a soundscape of eerie synthesizers driven by a future bass aesthetic, all of which forms the perfect background for her smoky vocals. Ellen O’s second and most recent album You/Sonata features artists Smoke DZA, SHRAF, and Khallee, as well as a more mature vision of her unique aesthetic. Check out Ellen O’s newest album straight from BabyGrande Records or wherever you stream your music. —Amanda Ogea

Project Diem offers a different vision of the synth-pop aesthetic, one of lush melodies countered by delicate synths and soulful vocals. Refreshingly, the vocals are left relatively untouched by reverb and are left to deliver themselves earnestly. The duo works to combine a synth-driven sensibility with an emotional quality that is both raw yet approachable. The "mid-fi" production gives voice to a youthful and surprisingly catchy angst, one that blends in with the changing seasons and failed relationships. Make sure to check out Project Diem at Alphaville, 12.13. – Amanda Ogea