Out of the musical maze that is Brooklyn’s synthpop scene rises Matt Koenig’s solo project Undercover Dream Lovers. The project’s intriguingly weird tracks have a knack for throwing together elements that would otherwise clash. With colorful bursts of synths and electronic textures, Undercover Dream Lover’s songs are equally fitting in an 80’s movie montage as in a futuristic space travel scene. “The Master” (streaming below) features undulating synths with distorted vocals that alternate between sounding close and distant, creating an interesting effect of fluctuating intersecting sonic waves. “When You Know It’s Alright” has piercing synths and spacey electronic bouts that burst in interspersed sections throughout the song, a track we could easily play over and over again as we drive down at night into whatever the future holds. Catch Undercover Dream Lover at Baby’s All Right for their EP release show on April 8.

Just a week after releasing its sophomore EP ‘Jackson’s Big Sky,’ steadily rising Brooklyn rock sextet Great Caesar now shares the achingly sublime music video (streaming below) for the track “Hey Mama." Showing the bandmembers singing the pining lyrics to the horn-blasted song in an abandoned warehouse that oozes an odd liquid, the crisp black-and-white clip conjures a creepy, almost Lynchian aura. Talking to Earmilk, Great Caesar frontman John-Michael Parker explains that the song does, in fact, tackle “disappointment and unfulfilled expectations, and the creeping anxiety of knowing you’ve done wrong by someone you love.” With his impassioned vocals and his bandmates’ wondrous playing, though, an undeniable warmth and hope for interpersonal reconciliation ultimately comes through. While Great Caesar doesn’t seem to have upcoming shows currently listed, keep posted on its Facebook page for future announcements. – Zach Weg 

Back in February Boston’s psych band Magic Shoppe released their second E.P. Interstellar Car Crash and it’s a trippy sonic masterpiece. The tracks are guitar centric pieces with distorted vocals floating in the background and cavernous reverb unabashedly pounding in your head. With beautifully languid melodies pulsing rhythmically throughout the E.P., Magic Shoppe succeeds at creating dynamic tunes that manage to maintain a sense of calm despite all that’s happening around them. The last track, “Interstella Car Crash” (streaming below), is the perfect example of that. Starting off with with an uniform tempo, vocals echoing in the distance the guitars sputter evenly before exploding into a spirited riff in the final minute. It’s like watching a star collapse into itself in slow motion and then witnessing it burst into a supernova of brilliant colors and sounds– a wondrous natural phenomena of galactic proportions that leaves us with our mouths agape, staring at the sky in awe.

Vundabar serves as a breath of fresh air out of the tidal waves of folk and hardcore rock that swamp Boston’s music scene. With indie rock at the core of its DNA, Vundabar infuses pop melodies and jangly guitar riffs to create their infectiously energetic sound. Often times switching up the tempo and rhythm mid-way through a song, these sudden changes of direction give their songs a welcomed air of unpredictability and a sharp edge to dance along on. What Vundabar manages to do wonderfully is probably how they take quiet moments in their songs and blow it up with bursts of jagged electric guitars and ragged vocals seamlessly, shocking you with currents of effervescence. The only thing that rivals their sound is their live performances, so catch them at Great Scott on April 30 and take listen below. – Adriana S Ballester

Almost effortlessly, ‘How Strange It Is To See’ by Brooklyn folk act Adeline Hotel (aka singer/songwriter Daniel Knishkowy) compels the listener with its quiet power. Bookended by the drum-clasped “Everything Is Going To Be Fine” (streaming below) and the ambling, Wilco-recalling title track, the brisk EP tackles such eternal themes as the passage of time with both gentility and passion, refinement and wildness and, consequently, makes for an instantly memorable listen. Ahead of the release of Adeline Hotel’s forthcoming effort, ‘It’s Alright, Just The same’ on May 13th, Knishokwy will play several upcoming shows including Union Pool on 4/2 and Baby’s All Right on 4/24. – Zach Weg

I don’t know if you’ve ever watched plastic melt, but there is something so beautiful and mesmerizing in the way it disintegrates. The way it moves and folds into itself. Listening to Boston’s psychedelic outfit Plastic Wave is much like that. Solo project of Andre Bellido, Plastic Waves weaves together fuzzy vocals over snarling reverb laden guitars and oscillating synths as a thick base rhythmically pulsates in the background, creating a rich aural texture. Their self-titled debut EP starts off gently, with delicate synths in “Intro” before climaxing into an eruption of kaleidoscopic proportions on “Pushing Me Down” and then easing into a dizzying electric comedown with “Melancholy Sleep.” Take a listen below and don’t forget to catch Plastic Waves entrancing sound at Great Scott on April 13. – Adriana S Ballester

ROMP follows the release of their 2015 evocative EP Sorry, Not Sorry with their equally powerful full length album Departure From Venus. Fueled by the end of a relationship, Sorry, Not Sorry was an adrenaline rush of emotions accompanied by high strung guitar riffs and piercing vocals. Departure From Venus is what happens once the dust settles. With a more poignant and polished sound ROMP maintains the zestful quality of their EP without sacrificing what makes them such a joy to listen to: the dance inducing, punch drunk energy of the undulating guitars and the beautifully emotive vocals. Just as comfortable playing in a basement party as in a rock club, New Jersey’s ROMP is a band to keep an eye (an d two ears) on. Show them some love this Wednesday, March 30, at Shea Stadium BK or at Rough Trade on April 14th, and give them a listen below. – Adriana S Ballester

A few months ago, Brooklyn indie pop artist Lewis Lane (previously known as Lewis) released the refreshingly soulful EP, ‘Take.’ Starting with the drum-thumped title track, which infuses the marital vow of accepting both health and sickness with almost sexual energy, and featuring “Low” (streaming below), an alternately downtrodden and upbeat piano song that boldly depicts raw vulnerability, the five-song effort vividly displays deep pain but allows the listener to bob to the beat. Lewis Lane plays at Mercury Lounge on 4/16. – Zach Weg 

Imagine if you took The Beatles sound and put it through a DIY blender, what would you get out of it? Brooklyn based Def.GRLS, that’s what. The lo-fi garage psych trio takes the battered remnants of a retro style and build it up with a sense of jovial abandon, molding their work into a slightly deformed but very bright and fun creature. The guitars shimmy with an ecstatic electric pulse as Martinson and Brickman’s vocals, slightly garbled as if slipping through a worn out PA system, float above the tracks. This band is all energy and glitter punches, a sonic wave coming at you with full speed and no intention of stopping. Jump on and ride this wave as they take the stage at Palisades on March 27.  – Adriana S Ballester

Just under a week ago, Rhode Island garage-rock quintet The Naticks shared the steadily mounting “Carry My Body” (streaming below). Telling after-hour longing similar to that of fun.’s “We Are Young” or tracks off The Walkmen’s ‘Bows + Arrows,’ the piano-pulsed song compellingly conveys dazed youthfulness with mature calm, the titular request seen more as a serious plea for emotional warmth than just a literal body to rest on. The Naticks play at AS220 in Providence, Rhode Island on 4/13. – Zach Weg 

Listening to Brooklyn rock quartet Howth‘s July-released album ‘Trashy Milky Nothing Town,’ one is pleasantly reminded of great bands of old, while exhilarating in its fresh quirkiness. On such guitar-laced songs as "Teenage Mutation" (streaming below), the tight punk of The Ramones comes surging forth while a track such as "You Were My Girl" has fond hints of The Turtles. Lead singer Carl Creighton and his band do, in fact, seem to be aware of rock’s potential for eccentricity and, with this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-referencing work, they entertainingly and compellingly emit their own spunky oddness. Howth plays at The Gutter with Jennifer O’Connor on April 7th. – Zach Weg 

Listening to Starchild is like ascending into the deepest pockets of space and sitting in a pool of glimmering stars. With oscillating synths and spacey electronic textures over smooth, deep vocals Starchild takes us on a trip out of this world. Bryndon Cook, the man behind Starchild & the New Romantics, has toured with big indie and R&B acts like Solange, Chairlift, and Blood Orange as a guitarist, and these artists’ influence is evident in his own work. At times dancey and at other pensive, Starchild’s debut album Crucial is music oozing purple, and covers the entire emotional spectrum. Take a listen below and catch him Baby’s All Right on 3.25. – Adriana S Ballester