While electronica meets rock is hardly new at this point, Psymon Spine makes it sound like a totally novel idea. The Brooklyn group emphasizes the psychedelic and adventurous aspects of both genres, bringing in complex rhythmic samples, EDM beats, circling harmonies, and even folky guitar interludes. The results capture the intricacy of headier electronic music with the youthful energy of the indie rock of the early ‘00s reinassance (think Animal Collective and TV on the Radio). You can experience Psymon Spine’s unconventional sound live on January 27th when they take the stage at Alphaville. – Cameron Carr

“You bought yourself a gun, you think it makes you safer / And stop telling me what to do with my body, it’s my fucking body” Michelle Birsky sings on Birch’s synth-pop slow dancer “Pick Sides.” It can be difficult to confront large societal issues while maintaining the accessibility of pop music, but Birch pulls it off with tact, tucking the personal effects of political and social divisions into buoyant pop filled with sweeping synths and hip-hop inspired beats. Perhaps the duo’s music is all the more reletable because it acknowledges how these issues seep into our ordinary lives. Birch’s next performance will be at Baby’s All Right on January 27th opening for Cape Francis. – Cameron Carr

Snakeskin started off 2018 with the premiere of “Seize,” a mid-paced fuzz rocker that shows songwriter Shanna Polley embracing collaboration with a full band. It’s still following Polley’s previous path, with sprawling song structures letting her detailed lyricism carve a story, but “Seize” has continued her development from bedroom songwriter to searing rocker. The sizzling guitars and thumping drums build a heavy platform for her voice to stand upon as it gains new emphasis and power. You can catch Snakeskin at The Glove on January 26th alongside Bueno, Milk Dick, and Spowder. – Cameron Carr

Bethlehem Steel is loud. The band’s music commands the room with intensity and force. The group’s most recent album Party Naked Forever, released in November of 2017, brought that music to a new focus with tumbling fuzz rockers and stop-start rhythmic treats. It’s an album that successfully emphasizes the band’s tumultuous live power and serves as a persuasive argument for taking the time to catch the quartet on a stage. You’ll have that opportunity on January 17th when Bethlehem Steel headlines Silent Barn. – Cameron Carr

After a year spent battling vocal chord issues, Brooklyn artist Von Sell has returned with the R&B inflected electro-pop single “Hell No,” a hard-grooving debut for NYU’s Village Records. David Von Sell, the Hamburg, Germany native behind the project, sings with a soft and sly tone that contrasts the on-and-off pump of a dense electronica arrangement. The production shines on “Hell No,” so sleek it’s almost slippery with a thick snare-kick beat anchoring the rhythm down. It’s a marked improvement to his promising 2016 debut self-titled EP and an enticing preview of what we could expect from a new EP currently in progress by Von Sell. – Cameron Carr

Usually shoegaze is an all or nothing mentality, but Hypoluxo merely dip their feet in for a dreamy wash. The Brooklyn band’s sound hits pretty straightforward, a little mellow with a baritone croon somewhere between Joy Division’s Ian Curtis and The National’s Matt Berninger, but the tasteful add-ins of sparkling guitar arpeggios and noisy swells give an extra coziness to Hypoluxo’s sound that makes you want to curl up inside it—perfect for recovering for the extreme cold that started the year. Catch the band’s first gig of 2018 on January 14th opening for Wildhoney alongside Big Bliss and Fruit & Flowers. – Cameron Carr

Pom Pom Squad’s music is dynamic and driving, but at the heart of the band is Mia Berrin’s sincere and emotionally vulnerable songwriting. Littered with stirring lyrics like “you said you wanted to take me away / so I packed a bag but you never came,” Berrin captures heartache with honesty and accuracy. The power of distorted guitars and crashing drums can help tell the story but her voice always leads. On January 14th, you can hear that songwriting take center focus when Pom Pom Squad plays a solo set at Mercury Lounge. – Cameron Carr

With the members’ resumes featuring names like Nation of Ulysses, The Make-Up, Holy Fuck, Obits, and The Cops, Savak is an A-team of indie rock odd-balls, but the band’s music speaks for itself. Some moments come sharp with jagged edges and angular turns while others chime with rock ‘n’ roll jangle worthy of R.E.M. Savak’s 2017 album Cut-Ups shows the group flexing its creative muscle and making use of the members’ broad talents for a consistent but adventurous entry in the post-punk genre. The band will play it’s first gig of the year January 18th at Alphaville with The Effects, Patois Counselors, and Big Quiet. – Cameron Carr

Clairo has become one of the year’s most unanticipated but delightful success stories in music, with her top tracks, “Pretty Girl” and “Flaming Hot Cheetos,” racking up millions of plays on Spotify. There’s no sleek production or gimmick in her tunes: Clairo makes vulnerable and intimate music, like a loving voicemail made without ever leaving bed. Her voice is muffled and cozy, nuzzling into the pillow made by warm beats like blankets. On December 31st, Clairo will play with Diiv, Hoops, and Chorizo at Baby’s All Right’s New Year’s Eve celebration in Brooklyn. – Cameron Carr

The last few years have seen a rise in experimental, genre-bending, independently produced music. Perhaps this is due to the internet’s ability to access almost any music instantly, or maybe the breadth of music already created pushes artists towards a disregard for barriers of style. The disappearance of label-driven artist development might be part of it too. Whatever the cause, the NYC scene is producing a lot of incredibly innovative music — and Jelani Sei is part of this phenomenon. The Connecticut/New York group plays soulful, hip-hop and jazz inspired music with a flair for indie and alt rock traditions. Without abandoning the approachable framework of pop music, Jelani Sei has created a complex and intelligent sound. You can hear the group’s idiosyncratic style opening for T-Rextasy on December 23rd at Trans-Pecos. – Cameron Carr

Prawn has never had the sudden rise to widespread success that has graced other bands in the supposed emo revival. They’ve played a long game, touring basements, releasing splits, and slowly building the critical respect they deserve. Which is perhaps a little strange, given their music’s knack for swelling and exploding with post-rock rapture, sometimes gradually but often abruptly. The New Jersey natives make tasteful emo embed with subtle math rock influences and cascading echoes. You can catch Prawn playing Baby’s All Right on December 22nd with an all-star lineup of current and rising, vaguely emo acts: Slingshot Dakota, People Like You, and Queen Moo. – Cameron Car

Strawberry Runners‘ debut full-length In The Garden, In The Night, was one of the NYC pop highlights of 2017. The band, led by Emi Knight, captures intimacy with an unusual fullness, filling out bedroom-bred sincerity with trumpet and keyboards for a vaguely orchestral sound giving songs a more considered and affecting tone. The band is scheduled to play their last show of the year at new Bushwick venue Elsewhere on December 30th. Check out their recent video for ballad ‘Dog Days,’ streaming below. – Cameron Carr