From 2009 until 2013, Teen Suicide existed as the solo project of Sam Ray, who self-released all of the project’s lo-fi bedroom recordings on Bandcamp. The band recently announced their return with a permanent lineup, and signed to Boston label Run For Cover Records, under whose umbrella they released a collection of new songs, entitled It’s the Big Joyous Celebration, Let’s Stir the Honeypot. This is a daunting 69 minute album that consists of 26 tracks featuring a variety of different sounds. The album’s most accessible moments feature almost flower pop sensibility with orchestral flourishes (hear opener Living Proof), while tracks like “Alex” seem to reference at once folk, prog and slacker rock influences. To make things even more complicated, the album unravels even more unexpected moments featuring experimental electronic and psychedelic influences. Teen Suicide will be supporting fellow lo-fi rockers and labelmates Elvis Depressedly at Strange Matter on August 5th. – John Honan

While the "prog-rock band" label is generally reserved for artists with alt-rock leanings and a fondness for the rock of the ’70s, Boston’s Body English are just as, if not more so, deserving of such a title. Instead of disconstructing alt-rock and putting it back together, the six-piece band applies the process to balladic folk-rock.  The result is a vortex of melodies old and new, with classical elements peppered in as well, that satisfies due to its ability to come across as intimately familiar while being innovative at the same time. You can catch them live at The Middle East on 7/26. – Henry Solotaroff-Webber, Photo Credit: Chris Anderson

The Afropunk Festival is returning to Brooklyn this August 27th and 28th and we’ve got you covered with a playlist of all the local artists scheduled to play.  First up is Saul Williams – a poet as well as musician who melds poetry and hip-hop together in order to create a unique kind of alternative hip-hop.  The VeeVees, on the other hand, remind us that rock’n’roll is basically sped up, punhcy blues, a genre America stole from Africa.  The Whooligan slow things down with tracks full of meditative yet infectious electronica.  DJ Lindsey is no stranger to the DJ scene and creates catchy tracks that are tinged with nostalgia full of hip hop and soul vocals. On a similar line operates also DJ Juliana Huxtable, mixing tracks that are full of loud and danceable beats, but that really demand to be heard for themselves.  LSDXOXO accurately relates his music to “crying in club” as it blends melancholia, house and rap. Brooklyn based producer, CX Kidtronik makes bouncy hip hop infused with electronica, and last but not least, Dhundee combines a variety of sounds curated for dancing, experimenting with all kinds of instruments that aren’t used as often by others in the genre. – Madeleine Grossman

Brooklyn’s Dirty Fences, a staple of the New York rock’n’roll scene, have the rare ability to sound tight and drunk at once, two things that hardly ever go hand in hand, and that Irish band The Pogues mastered to perfection. Their two singles in their most recent release, "Colleen and Michael & The Slipper Tree," are garage rock gems building in tension, and feature uplifting vocal arrangements and obvious ’60s influences – check them out streaming below. If you want to release a bit of your pent-up energy, make sure to catch them at Baby’s All Right on August 11th. – Madeleine Grossman

While singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane certainly does possess strong vocal chops, the core strength of his music comes from the "songwriting" half of his genre label. Kahane is a dexterous and thoughtful composer, balancing out the pronounced folkiness of his accoustic guitar parts with classic string or piano accompaniments on tracks like "Veda (1 Pierce Dr.)." He’s also not afraid to "plug in" and rock out either (like in "Calabash & Catamaran") proving his versatility as an artist to perform a range of styles and capture a wide breadth of emotions. He even did a cover of a song from "Oklahoma" the musical for goodness’ sake! On top of that, the strong Elliot Smith vibes in Kahane’s music add an extra aura of melancholy, and if Rockwood booked him for a residency it means he’s as good llive as he sounds on record. You can catch him next Rockwood’s Stage 2 on 8/28, and then again and again until 10/23! — Henry Solotaroff-Webber, Photo Credit: Rebecca Deane

The YeahTones are kind of the perfect soundtrack for when you decide to finally blow off your mom and sneak out of the house with your friends. A Brooklyn based blues garage rock band that just announced an August residency at the Basement, the YeahTones play a brash kind of rock n’ roll that’s equal parts fun and liberating. The band deals exclusively in punk’s don’t-care attitude, but delivers wildly catchy hooks that never feel insincere. Watch and listen to their single "Find My Baby" below and be sure to check them out August 12th at Pianos in support of the Jullian Cubillos Band. – Olivia Sisinni

Sometimes when a band gets experimental, the result has the unfortunate tendency to be too much like a lab experiment. The music is usually definitely still avant and interesting but stuck with feeling of being manufactured, rather than organic. None of this, however, applies to soul outfit Zilla. The Boston group’s latest EP Dream State sounds like a home-cooked meal tastes, with songs seemingly proportioned by what feels right rather than what any cookbook has to say. There’s also a distinctly vintage quality to the project, especially in rhythm section and vocals, but it never feels derivative due to Zilla’s ability to repurpose them in inventive arrangements and mathy tempos. For a fresh take on soul, check out the EP below, and if you still need plans for this evening you can see Zilla live tonight, 7/28, at Middle East.

We found out about Zilla through our submissions page. If you’re an emerging artist and want to get checked out, you can submit some fresh tunes to us here.

 —Henry Solotaroff-Webber

Sometimes a collaboration is all a band needs to to reach the next level, and a prime example of this phenomenon is "Making Plans," Bodies Be Rivers‘ collaboration with mysterious pianist/singer Lacrymosa. On their past work, Bodies Be Rivers mostly relied on their guitar parts to hold down the song’s structure, anchoring their ethereal vocals from floating off into space. With the addition of Lacrymosa’s piano, however, the load is lightened, allowing the guitar to contribute to the song’s overall atmosphere. The result is something far dreamier and uplifting than anything they’ve done in the past. "Making Plans" is the lead single off of a collaborative 7” split between the two artists, and you can check out their release show on 8/29 at Manhattan Inn. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber

Outskirts is a new hardcore band featuring members of Brain Slug, Fatal Erection (best band name ever?), Death First, and Zombie Dogs. The band is keeping the aggressive and intense nature of the New York Hardcore spirit alive with their six track demo released in March. Tracks like “You Assholes” and “Imposter” put frontwoman Jessy’s passionately hostile vocals on display, while the track “Drown Out” highlights the band’s groovier punk sound. The hardcore scene has been viewed as a boys club for quite some time, but bands like Outskirts, Firewalker, G.L.O.S.S, and Leather Daddy are proving that the female voice can be powerful in this genre, and just as pissed off as its male counterparts. And this is certainly a good day to celebrate powerful ladies! – John Honan

 As it’s developed over the years, the garage-rock genre, and it’s variations, has grown to include many types of music, and none know this better than Boston by-way-of Providence group The Rare Occasions. Instead of opting to section themselves off into one of the genre’s many corners, the band instead embraces its multi-faceted nature wholeheartedly, and play tunes that fall anywhere on the spectrum between swampy pop all the way to harder, dischordant punk. Because of this it’s hard to know what to expect off of their forth-coming EP Futureproof, due out August 13th, aside from it should be eclectically electric.  The Rare Occasions are going on an east coast tour in support of their new EP available on 8/5, indluding a release show at The Middle East on 8/13. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber

On Mākutu’s debut track, "Into the Sun," featuring Annapolis’s Gingerwolf, the Boston-based group introduce themselves with an intriguing gloom-pop sound. The song starts off meekfully and mellow, with a lonesome piano melody that is quickly joined by harmonzied vocals. As the track progresses, however, more components are added in, the dynamics grow bolder, and the song transforms from a elegiac tune to an up-lifting jam, full of redemption. It’s bold, and nuanced song-writing from the fledgling band, and it should be a promising sign for future projects. You can check them out at The Middle East on 7/27. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber

 

Alternating between swirling, lawless sea swells of sound and spacey-lounge jazz, Brooklyn-based band Sheen Marina is as unpredictable as a rogue wave. Sounding every bit Mars Volta as lo-fi sunshine-y surf rock, the band’s chill-beach tendencies are punctuated by a looming chaotic (and math-y at once) madness that threatens to take charge at any given moment. Despite this, the band comes off as tight, raw and endlessly interesting – leaving the listener picking up new song elements with every pass. Sheen Marina’s sound was made for summer (with a twist), so check out their recently dropped single, a rather irrecognizable cover of "Gettin’ Hungry" by the Beach Boys, and their first EP, Coda Arms, here. – Olivia Sisinni 

This artist submitted music for coverage here.