It’s hard not bask in the languid world of “Eclipse,” the first single off dream punk act Looms’ new record The Way Up. Written after a summer tour and a break up, frontman Sharif Mekawy’s lyrics about “wishing the moon would make it dark” embody a passive paralysis, the feeling of watching the hours tick by, a stupor from the reception of unexpected and unpleasant news. Looms’ interweaving guitars bolster this vibe, its impressive sundrenched noodling a sonic representation of the frustration that lies just below the surface. And while the Brooklyn four piece may have chosen to name this track after a solar eclipse, it feels just like a lazy afternoon in how it encapsulates the boring-to-death moments in between the events that define our lives. Give it a listen below, and catch Looms at Berlin on March 28th alongside Color Tongue, Monoculture, and Huh. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt), Photo by Liz Maney

QWAM’s newest single “Buy A Toy” is the sonic equivalent of a Subaru Outback barreling out of the crowded city, taking a scenic ride through the Poconos, and then driving off a cliff into the Delaware Water Gap. It’s energetic, filled with a lot of heart, and ultimately marked by a kind of humorous fatalism that makes it endearing in a “shit happens” type of way. While the crux of the song revolves around a repeating mantra (“just wanna buy a toy for you”), its simplicity plays against QWAM’s discordant shredding to deliver a concise, scorched earth product that may bring the listener to both dance joyously and burn something. Watch the video below, and catch them at The Footlight on March 15th alongside Plaid Dracula and Smock. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt), Photo by Karen Sofia Colon

Dina Maccabee’s forthcoming record The Sharpening Machine is a balancing act; Maccabee juggles inclinations towards melodic singing and experimental vocal expression, while simultaneously modulating between instrumental textures both acoustic and electronic. While it can be initially perplexing to discern her overall vision, it is out of these contrasts that she creates a tension wherein shifts in structure and sound deliver a satisfying build and release. Recent single “Could You Be Right” serves as a testament to the record’s dynamic nature, changing from stumbling synth lines and a wandering vocal melody to an indie-pop, almost baroque-like march during the song’s chorus (and then back again). It’s a peak behind the curtain to Maccabee’s uniquely singular vision which will drop in full on April 5th – stream it below, and be sure to catch her at The Owl Music Parlor on April 6th with Kaethe Hostetter and Out of Sight of Land. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)

Swimming Bell, the solo project of Brooklyn-based songwriter Katie Schottland, found its start in 2015, after Schottland broke her foot and used the downtime to learn guitar. Perhaps a consequence of her homespun background in recording and composition, Swimming Bell’s music is endowed with a rare authenticity, creating raw, unfettered folk songs from memories of people and places past. Her newest effort “1988” is the latest example of this craft, accompanied by a video that seeks to recreate the innocent wonder of childhood against lush acoustics and overdubbed vocals. And as the first single from her forthcoming LP, Wild Sight, it demonstrates a focused, fresh approach to folk ahead of the album’s release later this spring.

Schottland will return to New York on April 6th to perform a record release show at Trans-Pecos, supported by Monteagle, Pale Mara, and Andrew Victor. Until then, you can watch the video fro “1988” below. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)

New York power-pop group Big Eyes have no qualms calling out a comfy, wealthy existence in their new video for “Lucky You.” As syncopated Gibson guitar lines interweave scenes of the band drinking champagne and snorting caviar, frontwoman Kait Eldridge sarcastically praises “sleeping through the afternoon” and the benefits of a life without worry. While the lyrics are embedded with a punk attitude, the track offers good production values with a rather polished (yet distorted) guitar sound and tight rhythmic breakdowns, delivering a punchy anthem for those of us who still have to hustle for a dime. Watch it below, and catch them at Union Pool on March 30th, supported by Metaled and Moral Panic. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)

Posture, the sophomore EP by Brooklyn’s atmospheric synthpop duo Haulm, features an aged desert landscape contained within a thick white border. It’s a perfect fit for the brooding, dark, and spartan work laid down over the release’s five tracks; one can almost picture an unknown beast slouching from the sandy landscape against the dissonant keys of Reed Kackley, as JT Norton’s distant, almost fugue-state vocals weaves in and out. It’s an EP oozing with atmosphere that’s curated using relatively few musical elements, and speaks volumes to Haulm’s penchant for fine tuning sparse synths and the human voice into engaging, mysterious soundscapes.

You can catch Haulm at SXSW on March 12th and 15th – until then, stream Posture below. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)

Sid Simons, the leader of Brooklyn freak folk collective Girl Skin, embodies the spirit of a wandering musician in a contemporary context. Originally of Portland, Oregon (with stints in Australia and Shanghai prior to settling in New York), Simons makes it immediately clear that he has channeled his long, strange trip into the group’s sonic output; the band’s last single “Bite Real Hard” prominently features acoustic guitars against mandolin accents and an echoey, sliding voice. Before getting too dedicated to a folksy, Americana sound, however, “Bite” becomes electric, drone-laden shredding emerging from the woodwork as Simon repeats, “everything I know, I have from you.” It’s a distinctly modern twist on the folk of yesteryear, reflecting Girl Skin’s ability to blend both old and new styles into a cohesive, instantly classic output.

Girl Skin will head south to SXSW next month, but they’ll be back at Rockwood Music Hall on April 7th. In the meantime, go for a walkabout and watch the video for “Bite Real Hard.” -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt), Photo by Andy DeLuca

The atmospheric, often ethereal soundscapes of Brooklyn’s Raia Was are perfectly executed exercises in restraint, where a powerful vocal performance sharply navigates the dimly lit labyrinth of downtempo art pop. Her most recent release “Reprise” is a focused, minimalist effort – a song that reads as a lonely internal monologue on a cold, winter night. Was’s vox never explodes or relies on any melodramatic twists and turns, but rather plays counterpoint to the track’s synthy elements, finding strength in its hushed, sometimes breathy qualities; it serves as a preview of more carefully crafted tunes on Raia’s forthcoming debut record, Angel I’m Frightened (Side A/ Side B), which drops this spring.

Raia Was will perform tracks from her upcoming LP at Berlin on March 6th, supported by fellow Brooklynite Harb. Stream “Reprise” below. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt), Photo by Lissy Laricchia

New York’s Harrison Lipton lays down some heavy alternative R&B vibes on “Cannonball,” with help from friends Quelle Rox and Huck. Accompanied by smooth, jazzy seventh chords and shuffling percussion, the song is a testament to the experience of becoming singularly fixated on a romantic interest, wherein all other thoughts fall by the wayside as paltry in comparison. Lipton’s first verse sets the mood with images of sultry baths and popping pills, enabling Huck to wax poetically on taking tequila shots and the passage of time as the track winds to a close, becoming increasingly more ethereal and echoing as it all fades to black. It’s a suave single, best enjoyed under the haze of cigar smoke and whisky, and guarantees a good time when Harrison takes to Zone One at Elsewhere on February 15th for its release party, supported by Melt the Band and Walker Landgraf. Stream Cannonball below. – Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)

You’ll find a sloppy, lipstick-stained world in the video for “John / Candy,” the newest psych-rock vamp by New York songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Fox. Born from the intention of writing a track about actor and comedian John Candy, Fox’s single ended up detailing the two sides of the human condition (the facade and the impulse-ridden inner part), with Candy-inspired lurid lyrics about being a “one time call girl,” sung against acidic backdrop of garage guitars and chorus-laden vocals. The video itself – shot all around Portland, OR – showcases Andrew Fox and friends as they don makeup and wigs, hang out at the playground and eat (you guessed it) candy under the shaky lens of an iPhone 6. The whole production is rough around the edges in the best way, and promises more loose fun when Fox releases Shock By Shock on March 22nd. Until then, check out the video below. – Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt), Photo by Tonje Thilesen

Olivia Reid’s new single “Norfolk Drive” begins recalling a specific memory – “I met you on the first day of August so many years ago.” As an invocation of people and places past, it endows her soft-spoken folk with a wistful tone before quickly transitioning into the present tense as Reid sings of “riding the train to the end of the line,” of moving forward in both a physical and metaphorical sense, just as the track picks up steam with soft percussive claps of distant synth accents. While “Norfolk Drive” may be a track mired by a painful past, its lyrical and instrumental elements showcase Reid as a powerful, driven songwriter, able to learn from experience while charting her own distinct destiny. Stream it below, together with 2018 single "Organic Bloom," which gathered close to half a million plays on Spotify. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)

New York’s Sweet Baby Jesus makes the type of raucous, freaky garage rock you’d expect from their namesake – sloppy guitars shred against screaming revelations at a breakbeat pace, infected with a distinctly Americana vocal quality that feels equal parts Bob Dylan and Ian Mackaye. Their latest effort, Lyre of Ur, has a clear spiritual inspiration, described as “a lilting melody, draped in the burden of a deep gut feeling and weighted by a soul of stone.” I’m unsure as to the source material Sweet Baby Jesus frontman Pooty (no surname given) drew from in writing Lyre, but I admire its soulful quality and joyous mysticism – it promises a divine stage presence when SBJ takes to The Glove on March 29th, supporting Palberta and SSS. Until then, stream Lyre of Ur below. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)