Trying to find information on Holy Tunics is like trying to catch Alice’s white rabbit: a challenge, to say the least. You see them pop up here and there long enough to catch a trail but, as soon as you come near, they run off and you’re left waiting for them to surface once more. The Brooklyn band has two songs accessible through YouTube and Soundcloud, and their sound is lo-fi but inviting: gritty guitars, scruffy beats, and Nick Roger’s voice languidly and nonchalantly drawing catchy melodies reminiscent of pre-drug-abuse The Lemonheads. If you wish to experience this first hand don’t miss their upcoming show at Rough Trades with Dead Stars and Infinity Girl on March 4th! – Adriana S Ballister

A little under a month ago, Burlington-based, self-described “fox folk” artist Abbie Morin shared a slowly involving live version of “Better Half” (streaming below), the wistful opener on her 2015 debut album ‘Shadowproof.’ Over ambling guitars and soaring violins, Morin vividly depicts a distance-bruised relationship while showing pure appreciation for our lovers, wherever they may have gone. Reminiscent of both Angel Olsen and perhaps Lucinda Williams, Morin quietly yet strongly shines with her moving country-folk. Abbie Morin plays at Nectar’s in Burlington, Vermont on Saturday (2/20). – Zach Weg

Listening to The Teen Age is like running into old high school acquaintances – the ones that walked the line between fun, rebellion and recklessness – and realizing that they have grown up. The Brooklyn band has managed to retain the wonder of adolescent fervor within their matured sound, polished but with an edge. And their new EP Bad Seeds is a testimony to that; its youthful energy coursing through the verve of sprightly guitar riffs – and sagacity attained only through time.
Having cut their teeth performing for bands such as Twin Peaks, Diarrhea Planet, and Palma Violets, you know that this is a band that can pack a punch and blow you away in a live performance. They release their new EP on March 4 and are celebrating with a party on 3.3 at Mercury Lounge. Can’t wait two weeks to see them, then don’t worry. They’re playing Union Pool 2.19 and Pianos 2.23. – Adriana S. Ballester

One may not quite be able to discern what Providence’s Daniel Patrick Talbot is saying in his fuzzy guitar tracks but it doesn’t really matter; these messily pretty songs intrigue with their very refusal to be obvious. On “Hollywood” (streaming below), which sounds like a jagged anthem for the deranged, for instance, Talbot mentions that his “body is a lamp/like the factories,” conjuring disturbing yet undeniably compelling imagery. “Accumaliting 2,” which sounds like a mix of Ratatat and Future Punx, similarly obliterates conventional sense yet compels with its jumpy darkness. Daniel Patrick Talbot plays at AS220 in Providence, Rhode Island on 3/4. – Zach Weg 

The sensual guitar-based songs of Boston singer/songwriter Hana Kahn compel with their emotional nakedness and elegant musicianship. On the January-released “Venus And Mars” (streaming below), for example, the strong-timbered Kahn boldly details solitude and longing with guitar strums that excitingly add up to what can rightfully be called peaceful sonority. Perhaps like the most moving tracks in the singer/songwriter genre, Kahn’s subtly bold tunes seem personal but, impressively, can speak to many. Hana Kahn plays at Middle East in Cambridge, MA on 2/25.- Zach Weg 

As their two releases, ‘Gorgeous’ and ‘Victor,’ from this past January make vividly clear, Boston’s The Heavies intrigue in reflectively freewheeling country-rock. The drum-thudded third song from the former, “The Jailbreak Blues” (streaming below), for example, details a man’s escape from prison with the kind of gruff warmth that Johnny Cash made his own. “Take Me Back” from the latter effort, a keys-backed song that is delightfully honky-tonk, similarly tells of longing for home but in such a way that is more raw than sappy, more real than fake, yet still allows for pure warmth. The Heavies play at Midway Café in Jamaica Plains, Massachussetts on Tuesday (2/16). – Zach Weg

The uber-vague word "dreamscape" makes suddenly perfect sense when applied to Field Trip‘s repertoire, where songs are marked by seriously sleepy vocals yawning beautiful melodies, while psychedelic inflections and waves of reverb tidal over the listener. It’s no accident that they recorded a cover of The Smith’s ‘Asleep.’ The psych pop bedroom project, founded by Noah Champ Davies when he moved from LA to NYC in 2014, takes cues from dreampop, new wave and 90’s synthpop, merging them to create songs that ooze nostalgia and longing. At the top of the project’s sophomore EP ‘Deep Blue‘ is “Never (b)” (streaming), a song that sounds precisely like the sonic equivalent of watching an old, homemade Super 8 film that’s flickered and tinted with light leaks, and that slowly comes apart towards the end, as the tail catches fire and all the images melt away – the holes of flashing color gaping on the screen. Field Trip will be playing Shea Stadium alongside Iris Lune and Gods tonight (02.11). – Adriana S Ballester

This artist submitted music for coverage here.

There is an earnestness in the power pop tracks of Boston-based piano man Dan Masterson that is deeply refreshing. As the flowing title track from his 2015-released third EP ‘Atlas’ shows, the smooth-voiced singer isn’t afraid to convey feelings of loss and restlessness in his music yet seems keen on championing a spirit of perseverance. The Billy Joel of such iconic tracks as "Piano Man" appears to be an influence on Masterson yet, as the alternative rock-tinged "Nobody I Know (Slow Down)" (streaming below) from the album shows, he impressively adds some edge to his celestial songs. Dan Masterson plays at Middle East in Cambridge, MA on Friday (2/12). – Zach Weg 

This past November, Providence power pop quartet Jets Can’t Land released its ruggedly sweet debut EP, ‘You Can’t Linger On.’ As heard in the irresistibly nostalgic, guitar-fuzzed opener “A ‘70s Photograph” (streaming below), which excitingly melds the jagged splendor of Bowie’s “Queen Bitch” with the pure warmth of The Kinks’ “Powerman,” the six-song effort shows a band not so much enslaved by past struggle but ennobled, and even strengthened, by it. Jets Can’t Land plays at AS220 in Providence, Rhode Island on 2/19. – Zach Weg 

Back in September, Boston "psych dance-rock" quartet Celebrity Look-Alikes released its unabashedly mellow self-titled EP. Starting with the bass-zipped “Gargoyle” (streaming below), its loose yet controlled keys as chimerical as its titular beast, and ending with the swirling guitars of the existential musing “Revolving Door,” the effort shows a young, undeniably talented band searching for meaning while having fun along the way. Celebrity Look-Alikes play at Middle East in Cambridge MA on Saturday (2/6). – Zach Weg

Now that Brooklyn’s Market Hotel is back, we can finally have a clear picture of which local artists in the NYC DIY circuit have the necessary following (or whatever you want to call it) to play a venue that’s considerably larger than any other "DIY" venue. We used quotes when referring to DIY because it must be noted that the term has lost most of its original meaning, since most of these places, from Aviv to Palisades, and also Market Hotel, are perfectly legal venues: we guess DIY, today, is all about attitude, all ages shows, DIY decor, and – most imprtantly – about the style of the bands booked, veering from punky to psych to experimental or wildly creative, but never over produced. Maybe they should just rename this the "no frills" Brooklyn scene.

Anyway, not that many bands – besides DIIV (too big for us to cover) – are playing Market Hotel in the next few weeks, but we dig the few ones that are. We blogged quite a lot about Show Me The Body and their insane blend of Post Hardcore, Noise Rock and… Hip Hop maybe? Stuff that won’t climb the charts, but that might very well be remembered as what was relevant and new in Brooklyn in the mid ’10s – they are playing the Bushwick venue tomorrow February 5th.

We’ve always been big fans of Lodro, a noir, tense as f**k  trio that will be opening for DIIV’s second show on March 3rd.

A band we never covered before, Uniform (pictured), will perform on Saturday February 13th as an opener to SF electro post punkers The Soft Moon. The Brooklyn duo’s music also blends electronic sounds (drum machine and droney bass synth) with punky and industrial elements. Definitely a band to see while wearing earplugs and your good old mosh pit shoes on – oh, right you wear those all the time… you are good to go then!

Back in December, New York-via-Oakland singer/songwriter Jennah Bell released her humbly majestic latest effort, ‘Anatomy.’ Subtly remarkable in its deft ability to convey both innocence and experience through a folk/R&B blend, the aptly-titled work shows a musician assuredly burrowing into her innermost sadness. On the country-inflected middle track “John Forbid” (streaming below), for example, the smooth-timbered Bell asks the titular character to just “say something,” compassion for both his and her own imperfections arising from the guitar-swept dust. To celebrate the release of ‘Anatomy,’ Bell will play Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 on 2/17. – Zach Weg