Fin-Folsom are a musical trio from Brookyln who describe their sound as Animal Pop, and when you listen to "Ruins+Rituals," the band’s latest EP, you realize that the obscure genre identification couldn’t be more accurate. The songs, which are a collection of "character adventures" set in and around New York City, feature harsh-yet-beautiful vocals, wild and unrelenting rhythms, and guitar lines that are as sharp and angular as a lion’s tooth, or in other words, a bit animalistic. This isn’t to say that they sound rough or aggressive. In fact, the songs on the record have a rather stripped down and refined quality that produces a warm atmosphere, perhaps enough to keep your summer going just a little bit longer. The trio consists of Conor Walsh, Joshua Gottesman, and Jeremy Nakamura, who attended college together, graduated, ang began playing music following their return to NYC. They released their first EP in 2013 and have been performing and writing songs ever since. Speaking of performances, Fin-Folsom will be at Cake Shop on November 16 so be sure to check them out. – Patrick Wolff

The ethereal voice of McKenzie Ellis, aka Mothica, floats like a disembodied spirit over the haunting melodies and gloomy beats of her self-produced tracks, generating an aura of soothing melancholy that has drawn over 11,000 followers to her Soundcloud. The Brooklyn-by-way-of-Oklahoma songstress found her way into the world of music by accident while studying to be a web programmer, and it was certainly a fortuitous event. Besides producing her own tracks and preparing to release her debut EP within the next few months, Ellis also collaborates with a wide range of other artists, recently having lent her skills to a collaboration with Hip-Hop artist Mayo and electronic artist and recent NYC arrival Beshken, which found its way to the front page of iTunes’ New Artists list. One of her most popular tracks, "Trying 2 Say" (streaming below), is a song that manages to convey a deep sense of frustrated yearning with only a minute and a half of somber beats and Ellis’ melancholic delivery. Mothica’s debut performance will be taking place tomorrow, September 11, at Palisades. Don’t miss out! – Patrick Wolff

The dark isn’t necessarily scary for Aimee DeBeer. As heard in the celestial singles, “Oblivion” (streaming below) and “Persephone And The Devil,” off her forthcoming EP ‘Strange Fiction,’ the New York-based singer/songwriter glides across a black sky of cloudy synths and tumbling drums with calm strength. The South Africa-born and Texas-raised musician, with her satin timbre and nocturnal pop, almost inevitably recalls Lana Del Rey in these early singles, but these enigmatically moving songs foreshadow an intrigue all her own. Although no upcoming shows are visible on her Facebook page, Aimee DeBeer’s ‘Strange Fiction’ is reportedly out this month with a tour to follow, and will be performing at The Deli’s CMJ show at the Living Room on 10.17. – Zach Weg

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

"Fall Asleep Slow," the latest single from the Brooklyn duo Cafuné, is a laid-back track of summery electro-pop that brings to mind rooftop sunsets over the city skyline. The duo’s mixture of an uptempo beat with dreamy instrumentation, and singer Sedona Schat’s soothing vocals, results in a charmingly chill song that’ll have you reaching for the replay button whenever you’re in the mood to lounge around. Although "Fall Asleep Now" marks the band’s fourth release, it is in fact the first song they wrote together, penned just over a year ago, and it deals with the loneliness that one can sometimes feel in a city as large as New York. Released only one month ago, the track has already racked up close to 20,000 hits on Souncloud, and has been getting a bunch of positive reception around the web. Check it out! – Patrick Wolff 

Back in June, Brooklyn hip-hop/neo-soul quartet Flyer Learning released ‘The 457 Sessions EP,’ a feel-good yet bold offering. On early track "You Got It Good," for example, slightly sinister instrumentation reminiscent of early Gorillaz melds with chill-voiced rapper Ben Bennett’s admonitions of a whiny youth to form delightful mellowness. "Heads Bop" (streaming below), similarly, sets Bennett’s fearless emcee ambitions against drum taps and coiling electronics that, combined with singer Chandanie Orgias’ breathy vocals, culminate in potential hypnosis. While unfraid to speak its mind, Flyer Learning knows not to preach but to provoke and it does so intriguingly with aware yet immersive music. Flyer Learning performs at The Living Room on 9.18. – Zach Weg 

As heard in "The Mountainside" (streaming below) or "When You Were Born" from his 2013 release ‘The Lonesome World Beyond the Trees,’ upstate New York-bred musician Elijah Wolf makes impressively sophisticated folk. Like Fleet Foxes, the early-twenties singer/songwriter tells relatable stories of longing that are delightfully accentuated by sweeping strings and thumping percussion. According to his Facebook timeline, the New York City-based Wolf is currently working on new music. In the meantime, he performs at The Mercury Lounge on 9.25. – Zach Weg 

The past is hard yet holy on Brooklyn folk quintet Wilder Maker‘s April-released EP, ‘Everyday Crimes Against Objects of Desire, Volume II.’ Comprised of such guitar-ached tracks as "Relief" and "Liliana" (streaming below), the second part of a trilogy is a tome on the lovelorn moments that have us looking back in smile-faced melancholy. Like the great poet C.K. Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning collection Repair, the album illuminates the profound in the mundane, imbuing seemingly senseless pain with a certain sacredness. Wilder Maker is set to release ‘Everyday Crimes Against Objects of Desire, Volume III’ on 9.25. In the meantime, the band plays at The Bowery Electric on Thursday, 9.3. – Zach Weg

 

"Tantalized" (streaming below) is the first single off the debut EP from Brooklyn-based indie-pop duo FEVER HIGH. Replete with perky synths, neon melodies, bright and catchy vocals, and a bevy of "oh-oo-ohs" and "doo-doo-doos," the song is an infectious electro-pop tune that would fit right in at an ’80s dance party. The duo consists of singers and instrumentalists Anna Nordeen and Reni Lane, and the EP was recorded and produced by Adam Schlesinger (the bassist for popular NY acts Fountains of Wayne and Ivy). Although the group has no scheduled shows, the EP is currently in the works. – Patrick Wolff

Brooklyn-via-Mexico-City singer/songwriter Deby Medrez Pier depicts the final beauty of transience in her painterly songs. On the ukulele-cradled "The Last Time" (streaming below), for example, the musician conjures a sweetly fleeting seaside romance with a Hemingway-esque elegance while she conveys perhaps ephemeral personal frustration on the guitar-fuzzed "July." Beyond its sheer prettiness, most striking about Pier’s music is its ageless nature; these deeply felt, sparsely-constructed tracks may sound like they came from early twentieth-century Paris but they’re just as vital in twenty-first-century New York. Deby Medrez Pier plays tonight at The Mercury Lounge. – Zach Weg 

Opening with an eerie rendition of Peggy Lee’s classic hit "Fever" before exploding with a gut-wrenching scream and three minutes of visceral rock-and-roll, the self-titled first track (streaming below) on "Cream of Heaven," the latest EP from Brooklyn’s The VeeVees, is a charismatic throwback to the in-your-face attitude that rock was built on. The group puts out a vibrant and dynamic energy that will have you banging your head along with the overdriven guitars and driving drums. Lead singer Sophia Urista’s voice is raw and powerful, bringing an element of punk to the rock-and-roll instrumentals, and commanding the attention of listeners. The EP, released back in June, starts off strong and is unrelenting over the course of its four songs, clocking in at a fast-paced fifteen minutes. The group recently performed at Irving Plaza and you can catch them next on September 28th at Knitting Factory. – Patrick Wolff

Earlier this month, New York-based singer/songwriter Lucia Roberts released her latest album, ‘I’m Just Dreaming.’ Featuring such guitar-shadowed tracks as “So Kiss Me” and “Thorns And Roses” (streaming below), the release unveils not only the musician’s celestial voice but also a kind of “night-folk” full of mythic imagery and forlorn feeling that is akin to John Steinbeck’s East of Eden. There is, in fact, something novelistic about these songs but Roberts’ voice is so ravishing that one could just listen to them and nestle into their quiet beauty. Lucia Roberts plays at The Living Room on Wednesday (9.2). – Zach Weg

New York-via-Colombia musicians Juliana Ronderos and Nicolas Losada make alternative pop under the moniker Salt Cathedral. Their Facebook description reads, “I am a holy soul in a foreign land,” and it seems that, in this way, their otherworldly sound is intertwined with their lives. The band’s latest album, ‘OOM VELT,‘ was released in September 2014. Accompanied by ethereal beats, it is a dreamy, cohesive, piece full of layering and harmonies beautifully sung by Ronderos. Still, we are hungry for more music. A magical experience could include going to see a show of theirs; good thing the opportunity is coming up! The band will be playing at Baby’s All Right on Friday, September 4. Check out one of our favorite songs, “Good Winds,” below. – Lauren Schechter