New York indie rock outfit Robot Princess have just released a brand new single entitled “Claudia”, which takes its name from The Baby-Sitters Club character. Despite their lighthearted approach, the band was formed out of singer and guitarist Beau Alessi’s desire to express himself seriously through songwriting while living in Maine after college. The track relies on the heavy use of metaphors to convey the widely shared unhappiness that comes with living with a partner who is probably not right for you. While the song maintains a heavy guitar driven sound, its catchy verses and choruses establish a bouncy pop vibe. The four-piece will be celebrating the release of their new track at Cake Shop on September 15th! – John Honan

Formed in 2015, Teenender began as an indie pop duo consisting of brothers Brian and Chris McKenna. The two released their debut EP t e e n e n d e r in June of 2015. It was a smooth and upbeat collection of synthpop tracks that channeled the bounciness of 80’s pop. This summer they returned as a four-piece with their new single “Beat That Invites Me” (streaming), which featured their velvety optimistic sound, but with a more laid back vibe that incorporates drums and guitars. Teenender will be playing O’Brien’s Pub on September 14th! – John Honan

Good music has the tendency to grip the listener, but great punk grabs the listener by the shoulders and throws them headfirst into the pit before they have a grip on what’s happening. Self described "gutter pop" trio Metalleg is a NYC-based punk band that produces explosive tracks with such immediately compelling hooks, you’d be hard pressed to not find yourself instantly diving in. "Hit of the Week" is the band’s most recent release and is the sum of 10 tracks — most of which clock in under the two minute mark — and offers a non-stop jaunt through classic NYC-punk sounds. Landing somewhere in between the Cars and the Ramones, Metalleg’s music is sure to warm its way into your gray matter, and get stuck in your ears long after the songs have stopped. Catch them headling at Union Pool Sept 17th alongside Gorilla, Wyldlife and Cozy and in the meantime, listen to the link below. – Olivia Sisinni

Brooklyn-based musician, Lunifred Benjamin – who recently played Rough Trade – crosses genre lines with his mellow prog-folk, while evoking a rootsier-sounding Destroyer with a voice reminiscent of Girls’ Christopher Owens.  In his most recent release, “Atheist Anthem” Benjamin also strays away from common subjects, claiming “Nobody knows what happens when you die” and bringing up (unsurprisingly given the title) the topic of atheism in a rather casual tone.  Using strings and subtle guitar riffs, Lunifred Benjamin obviously enjoys to be in a category all his own, leaving us wondering what unexpected musical elements he can bring next. – Madeleine Grossman

We’ve talked about Henry Hall’s versatility before here at the Deli, but the NYC artist keeps impressing us in how often he manages to redefines himself. Hall worked on the Introduction EP with electronic producer Ellis, and the result was five tracks of soulful vocals supported by soaring, and at times poppy electronic arrangements. Recently, he has released a video for one of those tunes, "More Tiny," where Hall is singing around Times Square masked by various Snapchat filters. It’s one of those videos that’s either meant to be deeply symbolic or sardonically funny, but either way it suits the track well – check it out below. Henry Hall will kick off a monthly residency at The Bowery Electric tonight (09.07). — Henry Solotaroff-Webber

"Punk-Rock" is one of my favorite adjectives, in particular when preceded by the word "very." It helps me describe in a fun way otherwise gross scenarios (the constant influx of garbage entering my car, the shoes I wear with holes in the sole). This gritty aesthetic is something I’ve held near and dear to my heart since high school. The trap of listening to a lot of punk music though is that, after a while, it gets damn near impossible to yield to those primary principles that separate the punks from the poseurs, without like a thousands other bands. It becomes easy to get lost wondering just what punk should sound like in 2016.  Well, I’m going to lobby for something like Shop Talk.  Formed by members from both Liturgy and the Pygmy Shrews, the band delivers a sound that’s so immediately compelling that I was smitten from the first jagged riff on their EP s/t. Shop Talk is dirty, catchy, and threatens to burst at the seams any second. Check them out at Cake Shop supporting Sleepies and Joey Sprinkles on September 16th.-Olivia Sisinni

Brooklyn’s Swoon Lake are releasing today their debut EP Like Being In A Mouth, and earlier this summer they shared the appropriately titled lead single “Narcolepsy”. The “spooky folk” trio take a wonderful minimalist approach in their compositions, using delicate guitars and ambient synths. Front-woman Melodie Stancato wrote this song on her ukulele after spending her first night in her New York City apartment, alone. Her gentle crooning drives the haunting, joined occasionally by her bandmates with subtle harmonies. Swoon Lake will be celebrating the release of their EP tonight (September 6th) at the Silent Barn. – John Honan

Lina Tullgren is a New England-based singer-songwriter who composes raw and intimate music that seeks to find the balance between light and darkness. Tullgren’s latest EP Wishlist is a charming blend of honest folk and indie rock tunes that feature only Tullgren’s mellow, dreamy vocals and lightly strummed guitars. The album was influenced by her childhood growing up among many New England-based musicians and artists. On “Older” Tullgren sings in a hushed toned about wishing she didn’t have to grow older when its all she wanted as a kid. The track employs a minimalist style using only layered vocals and slow, dreamy guitars similar to Julien Baker. Lina Tullgren will be playing the Ian Sweet LP release show at the Middle East on September 6th! – John Honan

First and foremost, Foursix isn’t an artist, but rather a collective of seven, including rappers, producers, songwriters, a singer and a guitarist. Their output on Soundcloud so far has been limited to three tracks by a duo of emcees named J-Payso and Verdé Madera, and each song has demonstrated a ton of potential both on the rapping and Foursix’s producers side of things. J-payso and Verdé both have abstract, yet unpretencious flows, often stretching aproachable lyrics with complex rhyme schemes over several bars. Foursix’s producers then do a good job of accentuating their rapping with minimalist beats that give the lyrics enough room to shine. A good example of this is "Favors" (video streaming below), where the duo rap about being sick and tired of being asked for stuff while getting nothing in return over a fresh, keys-driven trap beat.

As a bonus, they also released a hilarious music video for the track which you can check out below. You can see them live at SoB’s on 9/6. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber, photo Credit: Brandon Todd

A sun-dappled song that soulfully tackles inner ennui, “The Cross I Wear” (streaming below) by Nashville-based singer/songwriter Sam Lewis is quietly pretty. Emanating a lilting alt-country feeling that warmly recalls My Morning Jacket or Hiss Golden Messenger, the keys-fleeted track (off Lewis’s eponymous debut album) is the yearning of a man with aching worries but, in its very existence, its sheer sounding out, is the coddling of those concerns, too. Sam Lewis is currently touring the country, and has a home town gig scheduled at The Basement East on September 23rd. – Zach Weg

Cat Be Damned is the lo-fi recording project of Richmond artist Erik Phillips, whose latest album Daydreams in a Roach Motel was released in May via Joy Void Records. His intimately soft tracks reflect on his introverted and antisocial tendencies, while also examining religion and what it’s like to be queer in the South. Drawing from inspirations such as Elvis Depressedly, Neil Young, and Elliot Smith, Phillips’ sleepy tracks employ the use of hushed vocals and melodic synths to shape his placid sound. – John Honan

Cruel Youth is perhaps the Marvelettes stuck in a black treacle, electro-acid dream. It is the smokey allure of 60’s R&B wrapped up in dark, hypnotic beats and dripping with the power of a femme fatale. After premiering track "Mr. Watson" a few months back, the all-female trio fronted by Teddy Sinclair (FKA Natalia Kills), is set to drop an EP this month. If the first single is any indication, the EP is sure to be lead by Sinclair’s soulful vocals and biting lyricism, deliciously paired with hazy instrumentals and sampling that makes the group’s pop-soul tracks sound driving and even "avant" at times. Keep a lookout for Cruel Youth’s EP dropping Sept 16th, and in the meantime listen to their single below.-Olivia Sisinni

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