Typically I’m weary of the word patio, after seeing it applied to countless local ads for senior-home condos or the over-friendly neighborhood brick layers stumbling through radio commercials. The Brooklyn trio Patio however has lightened my jaded little heart with their perfect blend of sweet melodies and post-punk grit. Marked by subdued vocals that read in a genuine post-cool way, Patio’s first EP, Luxury, is driven by mobile bass lines and punctuated snare hits. The band emphatically paints anthems for the current malaise plaguing twenty-somethings and their infectious tunes are furthered by the band’s sense of fun and loving devotion of chicken sandwiches. See Patio live on August 8 at Shea Stadium supporting Ovlov, Happy Diving, and Peaer, and check out their single ‘Arbitrary Numbers’ below. – Olivia Sisinni

When we last saw The Sun Parade , they had released their 2014 single, "Heart’s Out." Since then they’ve played a ton of shows, sucessfully crowd-funded for a debut LP and are now putting on the finsihing touches of that said album.  Due to these devleopments it seems like some re-introductions are in order, no? Their offerings to date have all bursted with melody, espeically their tom-tom heavy percussion.  Their vocalist also has that unique quality of being able to inflect boat loads of emotion into his voice without making the music feel sappy or overwrought. Tying these ends together are clean, simple but not dull guitar patterns which provide a nice anchor for the previously mentioned elements. You can check out The Sun Parade at The Great Scott on 7/30, where they promised they’ll play tracks off their forthcoming full-length. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber, Photo by Georgia Rae Teesma

NJ quartet YJY’s music has always felt like a broken mirror’s reflection of the surf genre. Instead of celebrating the genre’s sunny optimism, their songs are all about wipe outs of the emotional variety. "Summer Lifeguard," a single off their forthcoming The Same Noise EP, follows this motif, protagonizing a dude that’s bitter a summer lifeguard would only "give a shit" about him if he was drowning – yes, the guy obviously has a crush on her (him?). The track’s surf-y guitar feature occasional dissonant notes that emphasize the day-at-the-beach-gone-awry aura, serving as the dark clouds swirling around the bummed dude. The single is overall a promising indication of what’s to come on YJY’s sophomore EP, due out in August. You can also check them out at The Saint on August 7th. – Henry Solotaroff-Webber – Photo Credit: Jill Hendershott.

One of the great powers of music consists in its therapeutic ability to allow us to create personal universes where we can get lost when needed.  If this is what you’re searching for, the songs of Atlas Engine might come in handy. This is the new project of multi-instrumentalist Nick LaFaice (formerly of BRAEVES and Terrible Terrible), offering dreamy tracks sung in his reassuring alto, like in single ‘Everest,’ streaming below.  Atlas Engine’s debut EP, “after the end” will be released on July 29th, and you’ll get a chance to see them live at Bopwery Electric on July 25th. – Madeleine Grossman 

The Wilful Boys live up to their name with an intentionally gritty and intentionally ugly brand of punk that channels the elements of hard rock, noise rock, and hardcore. Their debut full length Rough As Guts tightly packs their self-loathing lyrics, frantic energy, and anxious howls into 12 songs. Tracks like “Poor Old Mate” and “The Pinch” feature methodical drumming and driving riffs that are overflowing with attitude. The title track contains the album’s softer and quieter moments before spiraling into a head banging punk track characterized by vocalist Steven Fisher’s abrasive yells. The Wilful Boys will be releasing the album on July 22nd through ever/never records, and will be celebrating its release that night at Union Pool. – John Honan

On their debut EP Ambulances, the Brooklyn-based band Russian Baths, lithely manages to forge melodic music that is equally haunting as it is noisy. Marked by a wraithlike set of vocals that float over layers of pedal-driven cacophony, the band’s sound is so swirlingly hypnotic that it would make a perfect soundtrack for your next fever dream – should you ever need one. Russian Baths is distinctively New-York-Cool, and while their distorted guitars snarl and crunch their way through the two track release, the band still imbues them with a decidedly dance-y fervor. See them live at Union Pool on August 16th opening for IYEZ and Mueren Humanos. – Olivia Sisinni

Fresh out the time machine, Active Bird Community play indie rock music that could’ve been beamed straight out of the late 90’s. Clearly inspired by the tense, guitar-driven acts of yore like Interpol or Built to Spill, the quartet’s tunes are like love letters to a simpler time for indie-rock, when everyone knew what the hell it actually was. Their latest video for "Pick Me Apart" perfectly captures this ethos: Tom D’Augustino’s slacking vocals sing about the mess that is life, while "fun" events and happy people whir around him. The only time he shows positive emotions, then, is when he’s playing music with his friends under a blanket fort. It’s a video about lost youth, highs and lows, alligned thematically with college rock, but featuring a more mature sound. Active Bird Community also released a single back in April, and you can check them out at The Bowery Electric on July 23rd. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber

Buzzwords like "fresh" and "innovative" get thrown around all the time in music journalism. They are pretty cool sounding afterall. Rarely, though, does an artist and their music justify the usage or embody the spirits of those words. Boston’s People Like You do.  The indie outfit’s debut LP from two years ago flew under our radar, but now’s the perfect time to discuss it since they are working on its follow-up and playing a ton of live shows. At the core of their sound is the contrast between the band’s cerebral instrumental arrangements and the visceral vocals.  Each of their songs is a swirling mix of instruments and styles from classical glockenspiels,  jazz horns and persussion to indie-rock guitars. The isnstrumental parts are intriguing, inventive and could probably function as post-rock songs just by themselves. That would, however, take away singer Chris Lee’s emo and spoken-word styled vocals, and that would suck. Lee’s at times laconic, others verbose, but always emotional vocals crash head-first into the band’s instrumental arrangemtns to create a sound that excites emotions and provokes introspective thought. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber

Annique Monet is a Brooklyn based chanteuse who charms listeners into following her to her musical fun house, where they are treated to some sort of crazy, psychedelic dream. Her debut album and one of last year’s Deli NYC record of the month, Phantom Letters, still manages to awe us with an unconventionality that defies expectations.  Annique Monet is bringing her hypnotic music to Baby’s All Right for Heaters’ LP release on August 5th – be sure to catch her there for a mind-bending experience. – Madeleine Grossman

New York band, Modern Diet, certainly stays to true to their name, offering a modern mesh of indie pop and soul with some jazz undertones. Upbeat single, “Echo Parade” (from this year’s debut LP MD So Far) comes full circle as it begins calmly, presumably describing the uncertainty of love in the summertime, and builds up as the singer gets to the point, saying, “let’s slip and slide and sleep together again.”  The song takes a turn with instrumental focus, questioning the same cycle and repetition of love, and finishes in the calm way it started. Be sure to catch the band on at Shea Stadium on July 26th with Roofer’s Union, Special Guest and Del Water Gap. – Madeleine Grossman

There’s a delicate yet powerful force driving Dear Creek’s music, a Virginia-based band that fuses Indie folk, blues, jazz, and rock’s feel-good qualities into one sleek and melodious package. The compositional simplicity allows for X’s gentle vocals to soar over the vibrant guitar strums, creating a sense of sincerity and serenity that permeates each track. The languorous pace infuses each track with a subtle touch of melancholy, creating levels of textures in songs like “So It Goes” and “Hard to Breathe.” Though a pleasant listen for long car rides and languid summer afternoons their shows are infused with vigor and an energy not to be missed. Catch Dear Creek at DC Nine on July 19 and listen below. – Adriana S. Ballester

Folk may be an old, old genre, but that doesn’t mean everyone has given up on trying to innovate it. Take the latest project by Somerville band, Eternals for example.  On Isn’t That Any, the quartet intently root their music in the… rootiness of their lead singer’s voice and snare-heavy percussion typical of folk, but on each track they also mix in a different genre or influence seamlessly, giving the album a broad musical width while still maintaining a strong investment in folk. One intriguing moment in the record is when they segue directly from "See You," a song drenched in shoegaze, to the alt-folk pop jam "Bar Room Dancing." At other times they even bring in some synth textures – perhaps signifying the emergence of "synth folk" as a genre? In short, it’s always nice to see someone take the old traditional American music with open mind and heart, and Eternals have done just that on this latest LP.  You can check them out at Lilypad Inman on 7/22. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber