In their debut single "Let’s Just Go Surf" (streaming below), San Francisco’s Idle Joy wear a few different hats. The laid-back chorus of "let’s just go surf instead" falls directly in line with — you guessed it — West Coast surf-rock aesthetics, but there’s also a certain bounce (and maybe even a twang, although it’s phased out in the second half of the track) that calls back to Americana influences. Not to say this is anywhere near California country, but there’s definitely a melting pot of sounds that blend infectiously into an exciting single. When lead singer Tom Conneely wrote the track he said he was "thinking about his own relationship and a friend’s relationship, and how easy bonds can suddenly feel the strain of external forces that compromise and complicate nice things." Idle Joy will be playing alongside Wax Statues and Killer Whale at Amnesia tonight to celebrate Wax Statues’ album release.

Listen to the Deli’s exclusive premiere of "Let’s Just Go Surf" below.

Former Deli New England artists of the month Birdgangs, an indie rock quartet from Boston, could be considered coastal traitors. The inform their clean take on classic rock and roll with distinctly West Coast, surfy overtones. This may be most visible in their newest single, "Greasy Spoon" (streaming below), an eclectic tune that is bursting with life. The main riff, written by lead guitarist Matt Bates, sounds like it should be soundtracking your favorite surfer movie. A completely new genre is born when it’s directly juxtaposed with the grungy breaks in the track that pull you right back into a Boston basement show. The transitions are at once extremely disorienting and undeniably effective, a nascent appeal to the diverse music scene of the city. The track is also the first to be written by the band since the addition of drummer Fernando Echeverry, according to lead vocalist Jack Davis. He said, "There’s a uniting element to the process that brought the song about. I heard Matt playing the riff that ended up in the song and that was definitely what set it in motion. The lyrics tell a story of an unfortunate misunderstanding between people that leads to some awkward hilarity and delightfully unexpected batches of late-night pancakes.” Birdgangs will be playing their next live show at Opus in Salem at 9 pm. – Lilly Milman, photo by Hannah Blauner

Stream The Deli’s exclusive premiere of "Greasy Spoon" below.

Oakland singer-songwriter Emily Brown’s LP Bee Eater is larger than life, featuring baroque arrangements and her own powerhouse voice. Wide in scope, the album moves from the vibrato-filled opener “That’s Not Me” reminiscent of the quirky vocal stylings of Regina Spektor to the heartbreaking “Beautiful Baby” (streaming below,) where Brown’s vocals swell over perceptive lyrics like “I was not your manifold lover / I was your miracled world / You and I weren’t made for each other / I’m not that beautiful girl.” Bee Eater is triumphant in its honesty and transcendent in its genre, showing there’s a lot more to the singer-songwriter than meets the eye. – Lilly Milman

This month, the showcase you know and love, Throwin’ Bo’s, is collaborating the Bay Area’s favorite local drag show, HOEisLife, to curate Throwin’ Hoes—an unforgettable night of live music and drag from local performers. Headlining the show on the music front will be Oakland-based experimental R&B and soul artist ASTU, followed by a DJ set from Ah Mer Ah Su and a set from hip-hop artist Qing Qi. There will also be drag performances by Nick Jizz, Fiera, and God’s Little Princess. Stream our favorite tracks from each of these artists in the playlist below.– Lilly Milman

This event will be on Thursday, October 4th at 9 p.m. Throwin’ Hoes is a spin-off of the Throwin’ Bo’s monthly 21+ showcase held at The Elbo Room. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door. RSVP on Facebook here.

Austin Prince, formerly a member of Brothers Prince, realized he had to quit his full-time job, as well as his band, when neither made him feel fulfilled. Now focusing full-time on music, Prince has embarked on a solo project that he debuted with the minimalistic pop-meets-soul single “Hard to Bare” (streaming below) — an emotive track about not being able to let go, even when you know it’s the best thing for you. On this track, Prince’s croon is at its most vulnerable — begging an unnamed subject to come back, even just for a moment. Austin Prince’s debut EP is expected to be released this spring. – Lilly Milman

Psych meets pop on “Bloodshot Eyes” (streaming below), the newest single from former Deli New England artist of the month Helenor. Irony runs through the core of this track, with the opening lines painting a rather dark image (“Lots of hate will form a crowd / you could get stuck below”) against an arguably more pop arrangement. At its midway point, with the introduction of the first chorus (“Bloodshot eyes / are my friends / they’ll stay with me / ‘till the end,”) the track dives into distortions that eventually give way to a reverb-laden realization (“Is this life / all about / the finish line? / I don’t think it is.”) – Lilly Milman

Listen to Helenor and other local artists on The Deli New England’s brand new Spotify playlist, Cold Cuts: Sounds of New England. 

Recreational Landscaping, a collaborative effort between Brother Toaster and Tyler Arnott (who contributed guitars and auxiliary sounds to Brother Toaster’s previous LP Chucky,) is a wonderful musing on what it means to make music out of the noise. Recorded on a mono microphone while a lawn was being mowed in the background, this project thrives off of the organic. Not only does the stripped back, minimalistic sound create room for both guitarists to riff of one another, but it also draws attention to the intimate details, like the sudden declaration of “I need to tune this” on the end of “Sunrise on the Flowers.” On this album, Brother Toaster and Arnott have tested their luck at trimming the fat and, as a result, created a surprising and wildly fun album that can be left on repeat for hours at a time. With each listen, there’s something new to be found and appreciated; discover it for yourself below. – Lilly Milman

Listen to more tracks from Brother Toaster and more local artists on The Deli New England’s brand new Spotify playlist, Cold Cuts: Sounds of New England. 

Chase Eiseman (of the Deli-approved Oakland post-punk trio Normies) takes on a new role in a project called Thriftys in the video for single “Leave Here Unknown” (streaming below), where he plays an extraterrestrial musician with an inability to blend in. In the clip, Eiseman’s green-painted skin and third eye aren’t his only traits that stand out; his easygoing falsetto in the chorus is a highlight of the track, and pulls listeners in more and more with each refrain. Like Normies, Thriftys is an Oakland group to watch — especially as Eiseman plays with band members that come from Bay Area staple bands Toyota, Babewatch, and Half Stack — and it allows Eiseman to harness the full power of his ear for pop. He played his first show as Thriftys alongside LA-via-Boston powerhouse Slothrust on Saturday, September 15. – Lilly Milman 

Boston’s The Woolly Mammoths — made up of New Hampshire natives Connor Bailey, Nathan Arsenault, Connor Kennedy, Jake Lennon, and Sam Routhier — create tongue-in-cheek indie dance-rock tracks for music nerds. Their forthcoming LP C I T Y Z E N may be a response to the everyday coming of age story, but the music is anything but average. The Deli Magazine is happy to be premiering lead single “No Confidence Man” (streaming below), an exuberant art-rock track that’s one of C I T Y Z E N’s many intricate highlights.

Of the track, Kennedy said, ”The ‘no confidence man’ is a male archetype that crops up in the independent music industry too frequently. He comes off as sincere and self aware in his music, but is really abusing these emotional connections to serve himself. I wrote the song through a real first person/dirt-bag-romantic lens, trying to be a bit boisterous instead of deep and melancholy.”

Stream “No Confidence Man” below, and celebrate the release of the track with The Woolly Mammoths at O’Brien’s Pub tonight at 8 pm. – Lilly Milman 

Throwin’ Bo’s is serving up the very best of Bay Area rock this September, with performances by the effortlessly lovable and delightfully fuzzy crooners in Bear Call and the gauzy freak-folk stylings of Yogurt Brain. Hailing from San Francisco and Oakland, respectively, these two acts will be sandwiching the L.A. based touring act Goon who specialize in catchy lo-fi indie rock with grunge sensibilities. Stream our favorite tracks from each of these artists in the playlist below. – Lilly Milman

This event will be on Thursday, September 6 at 9 p.m. Throwin’ Bo’s is a monthly 21+ showcase held at The Elbo Room. Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. RSVP on Facebook here.

In the track “Genesis” (streaming below,) Rhode Island-based alt-rockers SILICA pose the question, “What’s to lose if you aint’ got nothing?” Unsurprisingly, this lyricism, which encourages letting loose, is matched with an unbridled and reckless energy that manifests itself into a synthy pop-punk amalgamation that’s been dubbed “dance punk.” As the song proclaims, they are “uncontained” and not afraid to just give it their all. Dance along with SILICA on the North Stage at the Remember September Music Festival in Brockton, MA on September 1 at 6:45 pm. – Lilly Milman 

The quartet Genie of The Lamp are dedicated to paying homage towards Bay Area legend Mac Dre, who was instrumental in developing the local hip-hop scene. In their newest video for “Since ’84” (streaming below,) they channel nostalgia through vintage video effects and a stripped-down visual approach. The live cover of the track does justice to the original, highlighting both the technical execution and the Bay Area spirit of Genie of The Lamp. – Lilly Milman