Union Jersey group Fire is Motion’s 2017 EP Still, I Try, put their dream pop and folk combination on full display and gives you plenty of reasons to check them out. The group recently toured the Midwest and is now back in the Tri-State Area prepping for shows in Brooklyn, the first of which will be at Elsewhere on April 27. The group appears to be growing both in recognition and band members as they have added a fifth guitarist in Shannon Moore (for a few shows for now it seems.) The music is seamless in its delivery of rich acoustic arrangements, and emotive vocal crescendos which, coupled with several minor chords help create a style that’s at once moody and light. Fire is Motion is keeping their story going, one performance and band member at a time. – Rene Cobar

Ravens & Chimes are ready to make some noise at Mercury Lounge on April 23 in support of their brand new album The Empty House. The NYC group has been a mainstay of the music scene in the city for nearly a decade, and new single "Big Ups" (streaming) showcases an undeniable maturation of their fervent indie-rock style. The speedy guitar riffs and body-shaking drum beats are still there, but a more polished production and singer songwriter Asher’s vocals gain in urgency and confidence take this track to a new level. The group’s record release will also include a performance from L.A.’s The Palms. – Rene Cobar

The Vaughns are about to have a fun spring.  Led by the euphonious vocals of singer and guitarist Anna Lies, the New Jersey natives have been building steady hype with each sticky new single, and on April 26 they are playing Gold Sounds in Brooklyn to kick-off their spring tour. The quartet has catchy hooks to spare, and used them to capture the hearts of their home state with their 2015 entry tomfoolery, which was nominated for three Asbury Park Music Awards. Now they are ready to share their infectious yet heartfelt brand of indie rock with the rest of the country. The Vaughns will tour the U.S. for fourteen dates and return to NYC May 23 for the final show at Arlene’s Grocery. – Rene Cobar

Folk-rock collective Dirty Bird has a new, lovely single out called “Once,” and they are celebrating it in style April 21 at the Mercury Lounge. The single contains strong male-female harmonies, a catchy lead melody and the band’s signature creative approach to Americana. The group seems to have improved the formula from their 2018 record Still To Be Ours, pushing their experimentation farther without betraying their own sound. This is a band that deserves to be seen live and will be supported by fellow folk-rock group Dead Gowns from Portland, Maine. Check out Dirty Bird’s new single below. – Rene Cobar

Hip-hop up and comer Caine Casket is happy to go against the grain of the genre’s current mood by delving into his Liberian ancestry and producing emotionally charged lyrics that go beyond the surface of parties and money and examine the state of race relations in America today. By allowing percussive rhythms, electric guitars, and ambient sounds to lead the way in many of the tracks from his latest record 9 Nights, Caine Casket truly brings out the spirit of his ancestry and raises the pulse of today’s hip-hop with something wholly new and refreshing. Caine Casket will be representing Garden State, New Jersey at his next show at Elsewhere in Brooklyn, NY. Check out his single “Domino” below. – Rene Cobar

Stello is bringing its unique brand of indie rock to Elsewhere on April 12, and the world suddenly seems like a better place to live in. Stello has been a staple of the NYC music scene for the last couple of years and their brand spanking new EP Triplet No. 3: Fountain is another grand display of sophisticated chord progressions, groovy basslines, and ascending tempos culminating in pleasant harmonies and cathartic finales. The new record showcases a costant evolution in the band’s sound that doesn’t betray their signature traits. Listen to “Sure Enough?” from the new EP below. – Rene Cobar, photo by  Nick Deveau

NYC’s Shanny is an artist in every sense of the word, and she is starting her year right with debut album Swirl Diet, a record that displays the very best elements of neo-soul, hip-hop. Wonderfully layered with funky basslines, jazzy chord progressions, soulful vocals, and conscious-driven lyrics, this solo effort sounds like a sign of great things to come. Shanny has been using multi-disciplinary arts (visual art, theatre, and music) to address today’s social issues and give a greater voice to movements of female empowerment. She is also a traveler, yoga instructor, event planner, and more but – as you will be able to tell from the track below – she is a musician above all else. – Rene Cobar

This artist submitted music for coverage here.

The Jack Moves are at it again with a new single “Money Clouds” which once again puts their love for soul/rhythm and blues on full display. The group’s new LP Free Money brings into focus the journey of the duo who marries decades of music effortlessly and applies them to their contemporary sound. The Jack Moves offers the groovy basslines of the ‘70s, the urban feel of hip-hop’s ‘80s heyday, the R&B renaissance of the ‘90s and just the right amount of modern indie rock. The New Jersey natives are bringing their smooth style to The Knitting Factory on April 4, and you will not want to miss it. – Rene Cobar

With Southern hip-hop artists like 21 Savage and Travis Scott reigning supreme across mainstream media, it is refreshing to see groups like Queens’ Oxymorrons take a different and bold approach to the genre. Oxymorrons soaks their bass-heavy hip-hop songs in elements of alternative rock, producing catchy hooks that complement their flowing verses, hence crystallizing the meaning of alternative hip-hop. The group is a perfect blend of everything that makes NYC a red-brick melting pot of genres: hard-charging licks, contagious beats, and rapid vocal deliveries form part of their performance. They are coming to Rough Trade on March 30. – Rene Cobar

Never failing to impress, Brooklyn native group Turkuaz has released a music video for their brand new single “Superstatic” which was shot in Brooklyn and directed by Dani Brandwein and Jocelyn Piece. Turkuaz’s lead singer and guitarist Dave Brandwein produced the video which encapsulate the colorful and creative nature of the band via green screen shots that have “an extra sprinkling of strangeness.” Everything was shot inside Brooklyn Bowl, which adds an extra touch of locality to the work. “Superstatic” is from the band’s 2018 release Life In The City, which once again puts Turkuaz’s excellent blend of funk and soul on full display and continues to cement the band’s status in “The Borough of Trees.” Turkuaz hits the road April 4 for a thirty-three date U.S. tour. – Rene Cobar

NYC post-rock and prankster duo Shake the Baby Till the Love Comes Out are taking their musical exploration of textures and timbre to Alphaville tonight (March 27) and listeners shouldn’t expect them to hold anything back. The duo consisting of Fiona Gurney (guitar) and Niko Wood (drums) dangles, contorts, and tears away at the fabric of traditional rock in each track of their latest record in a pretty suit. The drastic shifts in tempo and the irresistibly mathy guitar licks that alternate between distorted and clean clearly puts them on the footsteps bands like Tortoise and Cul de Sac who drove the American post-rock movement forward. Shake the Baby Till the Love Comes Out is sure to make a lot of noise, of the right kind. – Rene Cobar

Power pop’s deliciousness derives from its embracing of catchy tunes, bold personalities, and playful theatricality. But it’s kind of like an ice cream sundae: take an ingredient out, and it kinda sucks. Astoria’s The Hell Yeah Babies are able to serve this genre with a cherry on top through their blend of garage, glam, and Costellesque vocal melodies, taking us on a musical ride that flashes rich harmonies, intrepid guitar solos, and enough showmanship to make Broadway’s musicals blush. The Hell Yeah Babies’ 2018 record All The Things That You Believe is evidence that this group is working hard and aiming high. See them live at The Footlight Bar on March 29 in Queens, NY. – Rene Cobar