Weird noise plays opposite scorched guitars on Gross Dominance, the new EP from New Jersey’s Resounding No. Whether this noise adds to a dramatic, calamitous conclusion on opener “Hexed Pet” or adds a gritty depth of sound to vocals on tracks like “Hunter’s Moon,” Resounding No understands how to wield reverb and dissonance to their advantage. This, paired with the Garden State trio’s command of songwriting and precise percussive licks helps to deliver a tight extended play that rips from start to finish, providing a rust-laden, engaging listen for fans of melodic punk and garage rock. Get a good pair of earphones before you let Gross Dominance wash over you, and catch Resounding No at In the West on August 22nd alongside Didi and Magic Ghrelin. -Connor Beckett McInerney

Feel It, the debut EP of Brooklyn post-hardcore quintet Nice Knife, is the musical equivalent of a lightning strike—here for a hot, visceral moment, then gone before you can render what the hell just happened. This isn’t so much a dig at the run time of their first effort (an exhilarating five minutes), but more so a testament to the focused energy of Feel It’s three tracks; from the whirlwind, guttural vocal performance on opener “High Knees” to the melodic coursing of “Knew It,” Nice Knife are able to incorporate numerous, if subtle, post-punk and thrash motifs into their work. It’s a thrilling, compelling ride that promises a barn burning performance at The Broadway on July 25th, where Nice Knife will play alongside Haute Tension and Big Spirit. Listen below. -Connor Beckett McInerney

Brooklyn’s A Bunch of Dead People is the experimental funk solo project of Ruben Sindo Acosta that “has since become a cult,” in their own words. Listening to debut Your Eternal Reward helps illuminate why the band chose this self-descriptor. Over the course of seven, fuzzed out tracks, Acosta lays down groovy vintage bops, accentuatedby a preference for time signature changes, discordantly off-kilter synths, and enormous sax lines. His eccentric take on funk music challenges the listener’s expectations, delivering a full length effort that feels like what funk music would sound like in an alternate David Lynch-inspired dimension. Stream the delightfully freaky LP below, and catch A Bunch of Dead People at Baby’s All Right on July 31st, alongside Irrevery, Francie Moon, and Wooter. -Connor Beckett McInerney 

Brooklyn’s Peaer hits their stride on new single “Don’t,” utilizing patent stumbling math rock rhythms alongside major-minor chord modulations to create a track that is as engaging as it is disorienting. Regardless of vocalist/guitarist Peter Katz’s biting, occasionally sardonic lyrics (“why do you treat others like objects? / man, i’d hate to see how you treat objects”), there’s an inherent playfulness to Peaer’s craft, due in large part to the band’s tight instrumental synergy, their ability to interweave guitar, drums, and vox in ways unexpected and impressive. Better yet, Katz’s nonchalant vocal delivery occurring the midst of their well-choreographed performance endows “Don’t” with an effortlessly cool atmosphere. It promises more experimentation on forthcoming LP A Healthy Earth, out August 16th on Tiny Engines; listen below, and catch them at Elsewhere on September 27th. -Connor Beckett McInerney

Big Spirit is New York’s answer to disingenuous baby boomer gripes that there’s no good rock bands anymore, embodying the, well, “big spirit” of the Big Apple’s longstanding rock legacy. New single “Black Angel” employs sloppy fun Ramones-like guitar progressions against the sing-speak stream of conscious lyrics of frontman Sed Pepper, a visceral diatribe of dream imagery that includes being “born in an ocean” and “making love to a video.” While it might be a fool’s errand to offer deeper analysis of Pepper’s more esoteric quips, his abilities as a songwriter endow Big Spirit’s music with a restless energy, a constant sense of movement, that makes for an enjoyably vintage listening experience. Jam it below, and catch the band the band at The Broadway on July 25th, supporting Nice Knife and Haute Tension. –Connor Beckett McInerney

Brooklyn’s NETHERLANDS makes the type of sludge rock we deserve in 2019—dark, synthbass heavy post-punk that confronts the consumerist elements of a society we all complain about (but in actuality do very little to change). From their gripes with excessive baby pics on social media (“NEGATIVE LIKES”) to the miasma of existence (“DEATHLESS”), their most recent EP HOPE PORN charts resonant lyrics for a pessimistic 21st Century mindset, all sung against the trudge of subwoofer-destroying electric instrumentation. It’s a maximalist reaction to our world, a sharp rebuke of the idea that things will get better, offering an insightful catharsis in its full-throated scream into the void. Rage on, and catch their sound at Alphaville on July 22nd, supporting Throwaway and Dead Tenants. -Connor Beckett McInerney

New York based multi-instrumentalist Conrad Hsiang creates chill, lo-fi influenced soundscapes under the project name Public Library Commute, drawing from both Japanese hip-hop and contemporary alternative RnB to craft something novel. Last year’s sienna 1999 encapsulates these diverse genre influences in perfect form, with tracks like “fake hawaii” employing sticatto vibraphone-like noodling over Hsiang’s detached auto-tuned vocals. Hsiang’s lyricism and vocal performance in particular breathe new life into a genre of music that’s frequently criticized for its repetitive nature, elevating lo-fi from its stream-heavy, easy-listening reputation to something that is engaging—but still relaxed. Listen to it below, preferably while basking in the warm summer sun. -Connor Beckett McInerney

Maisy McVicar’s music is not of this time, and possibly not of this terrestrial plane. Recording under the project title Milky Maze, she creates haunting, beautiful folk, lyrically reminiscent of turn of the century Dust Bowl music, accentuated by echoing, distant instrumentation that places the final product somewhere between Dave Van Ronk and the Elephant 6 Recording Company. At times on her latest effort, hank, guitars and banjos become so gain-heavy they attain an other-worldly quality, becoming monoliths of sound that, alongside McVicar’s ethereal falsetto, deliver a final product that is both somber and spiritual. It’s necessary listening for fans of experimental folk, and promises a celestial performance at The Glove on July 12th, alongside Joanna Stemberg, Liam Kirby, and Michael. Listen below. -Connor Beckett McInerney

Union City’s The Lo-Fi’s embody the type of slacker rock mentality their name suggests, crafting fuzzy, sing-speak narrated vamps tailor made (and fostered by) the northeast DIY scene. Recent single “Rest Assured” embodies these qualities in the best way, finding strength in syncopated vocal lines, tinny percussive beats, and reverbing blue wave riffs, perfect for nonchalant dancing at a basement show, or in my case, dissociating on the L train. Jam it below, and catch their easygoing bops at Trans-Pecos on July 24th, supporting Earth Dad, Ocean Heights, and Pynkie. -Connor Beckett McInerney

New York electronic duo Local Dialect excel in creating understated techno, crafting tactile soundscapes that would feel just as appropriate underground as they would in open air. Their recent drop “Poseidon [REALM]” is a perfect example of this two-pronged production mentality, with its deep, brooding bass underscoring energetic, almost tropical percussive accents. The pairing of these two subsets of electronic music—the mixing of both dark and light elements—makes Local Dialect’s music recommended listening for summer nights and July pool parties alike (or perhaps both, if you’re dancing long enough). Stream it below, and catch them at Elsewhere on July 13th, alongside Willaris.K. -Connor Beckett Mcinerney

Brooklyn-based songwriter Iyves has maintained a relatively low profile since her breakout EP Chromatic dropped last year, a release lauded by many outlets for its urbane alternative R&B sound. With newly arrived single “Gold,” Iyves reemerges on the scene after a year-long hiatus, laying down a sleek, dramatic foray into the New York night. As a track, “Gold” finds strength in its cinematic delivery—its vocals grows from muted to explosive over the song’s three minutes, playing opposite to grandiose electronic bass hits, in a performance that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Bond film’s opening credits. It’s an exciting, theatric ride, one that promises more sultry jams from Iyves throughout the second half of 2019. Stream it below.

Dreamworld, the new LP from Brooklyn-based artist Simon Garrett, spills out onto the canvas like a knocked over can of paint, incorporating smatterings of electronica, breakbeat, and alternative rock throughout the course of its nine distinct tracks. It’s a record that’s hard to pin down, and Garrett seems to like it that way, directly confronting the listener by means of off-kilter percussive segues (“Expalina”), power-pop anthems (“Whole New Shaky”), and bare-bones lofi folk performances (“Last Sunday”). While by no means a thematically cohesive work, Garrett’s penchant for weird, disconcerting sonic textures and drive for experimentation ultimately delivers an album that’s satisfyingly strange, offering an idiosyncratic take on numerous genres from a radically new perspective. Listen below, and catch Simon Garrett on July 16th at Sunnyvale, supporting Racket Man, Tidal Gloom, and Phil and the Osophers. -Connor Beckett McInerney