The Rassle caught our ear back in 2011, when the two-piece was performing around Brooklyn and garnering attention for their excellent live shows and hybrid psych-noise-pop sound. We had lost hope to see a full-length release, but the indie rock duo–made up of brothers Blair and Reed Van Nort–is finally ready to deliver debut album Roll On.

The Rassle’s edgier sonic qualities are leveled out by their indie rock sensibility, mixing softer psych-inspired melodies with solidly catchy songwriting chops. It’s all topped off with a slick mastering and mixing sheen that makes for an effortlessly great rock record.The 9 tracks on this record gleam thanks to shiny production from John O’Mahony, but still manage to keep the band’s charming ramshackle sound intact. With everything from stadium anthems to hooky sing along choruses, there’s something for everyone on Roll On. Listen below and don’t miss this band live when you get the chance. – Sara Nuta

Back in February, Miles Arntzen a.k.a Miles Francis put out his debut solo EP Swimmers. Today he’s continuing to make waves with the release of new single and music video entitled “Sophomore Slump.”  Francis, who also played drums in Antibalas, is an NYC-based multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who crafts organic, off-kilter pop. Directed by Charles Billot, the accompanying visuals for “Sophomore Slump” find Francis maneuvering dark corridors and bright balloons, surrounded by masked figures in feather boas dancing alongside the song’s jittery melody. Here’s what he had to say on the video’s genesis, “The video is basically a dark funhouse version of my mind. The clutter, the calm; childhood, adulthood; confidence, insecurity – it’s all in there, and I’m surveying all of it.” Watch below! – Sara Nuta

Last week, Darkwing put out their new EP, Super Silver, which came out on the heels of their loosie “Ignorant Ghost.” Today, they’re premiering the visuals for “Vicious” off of the split track “Vicious/Who U R.”

Despite being based out of Brooklyn-via-New Jersey, Darkwing has a sound that’s got a lot of west coast blood in it; you can hear a blend of surf punk, scuzzy garage, and fuzzy Southern California rock elements on their latest. “Quid Facere” and “Alley Cat Blues” both dip into the band’s melancholic side, while “Necropants" and “Vicious / Who U R” showcase rowdier, hooky song structures while still flirting with cynicism.

The video for “Vicious” is a dizzying mash-up of fish-lens images–from lip-syncing to quick cuts of party scenes and raucous shows. The song finds a balance between their amped up, oddball energy and east-coast neuroticism. The video only clocks in at one minute but manages to feel much longer. Check out both the video and the EP below.

New Rose is gearing up to release their full-length album, Crying Eyes, via Broken Circles this coming November. The NYC cosmic country six-piece has already debuted the record’s windswept first single “Plenty of Flowers” and now they’re sharing the beautifully languid “Weeping Willow.” The forthcoming album follows the band’s first full-length, Morning Haze, which came out in 2017 and set the precedent for their particular brand of dusty, Americana-inspired indie rock. “Weeping Willow” is no different and basks in much of the same nostalgia-inducing golden hour light, with droopy sliding guitars and lilting vocals. This time around, New Rose kicks up the dust a bit with a moody bassline and a cagey percussive opening that resembles an ‘80s drum machine. The song drifts back into a familiar warm breeze soon enough with a kind of “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” sentimentality. The vocalist sings, “There’s a weeping willow that sings to me/ A southern landscape with a northern breeze,”  which is the perfect imagery for a band with a rootsy sound tethered to an east coast locale. If you’re in NYC you can catch the band live at their record release at Elsewhere (Zone One) on November 14th, where they will be playing with The Letter Yellow and Teen Body. Crying Eyes is out November 8th via Broken Circles and you can listen to “Weeping Willow” below.

Alyse Vellturo has been releasing a steady stream of singles from her solo project, pronoun, this year. We’ve already heard “run” and “wrong,” in the lead up to pronoun’s debut album–which is due out later this year via Rhyme & Reason. Today we’re getting a new track called “you didn’t even make the bed.” Despite its dreamy quality, “you didn’t even make the bed” is written out of spite, and specifically, out of an all-too-familiar bitterness towards an ex. 

Vellturo details, “I wrote this when I got home after an ex had just moved out and left it kind of a mess, when I just wanted to scream at the sky, when it was the final straw. It transitions from the sad, defeated phase of a break up in to the angry one. This whole record addresses that phase, the one where you’re like "really…REALLY?!" 

The upcoming album is shaping up to be something spectacular, and you can catch pronoun this November when she hits the road with Justin Courtney Pierre (of Motion City Soundtrack) on tour. Listen to “you didn’t even make the bed” below, and see pronoun live at Bowery Ballroom on November 6th. 

Sam Owens a.k.a. Sam Evian released his latest album “You, Forever” on Saddle Creek Records over the summer.  In 2017, The NYC-based producer and songwriter also co-produced the solo album for Kazu Makino (of Blonde Redhead). Now, the two have joined forces in a re-imagined track entitled “Next To You.” This version is just as billowy and mellow as you might expect coming from the minds of these two musicians. But with help from Kazu’s haunting vocals and a sweeping instrumental section (metronome, violin, and bass), “Next To You” blooms into something more celestial and otherworldly. The song’s central message is short and sweet but tinted with a dreary cynicism about how the world sucks right now.  Makino murmurs, “I can’t fight the world’s battles/I just wanna be next to you.” It’s a truly gorgeous track, and you can listen below. – Sara Nuta

In September, NYC’s Jigsaw Youth released Sorry for the Distortion, an EP that follows 2017’s album, America’s Sweethearts. Made up of Natascha Beck (guitar), Julia Mannarino (drums), and Maria Alvarez (bass/vocals), Jigsaw Youth hearken back to the relentless wrath of bands like Bikini Kill and Hole; but their inspirations draw near and far—from FIDLAR to Fugazi. They rip through a lot more than just punk in their songs, navigating hardcore, metal, and grunge influences with dexterity and fury. You can catch the trio play at Trans-Pecos on October 26th, where they’ll be playing with So Over It, Mean Siders, and Bad Kiss! – Sara Nuta

Last April, Brooklyn jangle rockers Holy Tunics put out their excellent debut LP entitled Butter Dish. On that album the four-piece breeze through ten tracks in a way that feels effortless, but never sloppy. Blending the warmth of college rock and the loose, airy melodies of more contemporary indie pop, Holy Tunics sound  familiar and fresh in a way that’s reminiscent of bands like The Feelies, Real Estate, or even early R.E.M. On Butter Dish, some guitar parts are unambiguously twangy while others can veer into the more distorted direction of garage rock—but almost each track on this record is a real jam in its own right. You can catch Holy Tunics live on October 18th at Alphaville, where they’ll be playing alongside Your Dream Coat, Joy Cleaner, and Algebra II. – Sara Nuta

Brooklyn indie-pop five-piece LEGS are back today with a new single called “Buddies,” a moody track with ominous visuals to match. Opening with a sparse vocal part, “Buddies” slinks into a slow-building electro breakdown about halfway through. The Juan Miguel Marin-directed video finds frontman Tito Ramsay in (presumably) a cab as he watches vignettes of the city from the vantage point of the backseat. As the track picks up, so does the speed of the car; the lights and images of the city at night blur and flash by, creating a real sense of momentum both sonically and visually. Sara Nuta

NYC’s Water From Your Eyes fuse post punk and dancey grooves in All A Dance, their latest release and first for DIY imprint Exploding In Sounds records. Made up of Nate Amos (This Is Lorelei) and Rachel Brown (thanks for coming), the duo has been making music under the WFYE moniker for just around two years but in that time they’ve put out an impressive amount of music–two full-lengths and several EPs–and carved out their own sonic space. Amos’ dense mixes layer ‘80s-inspired bass lines and jumpy hooks over Brown’s wandering vocals, finding fresh retro-futuristic sounds that are just as uplifting as they are introspective. Water From Your Eyes seamlessly blend elliptical rhythms with twee-like melodies–resulting in a new-wave sound that’s equal parts entrancing and charming. Their songs can clock in at over or around 6 minutes; they’re easy to get lost in. But no matter how hypnotizing the tracks may be, they never fail to keep a steady grasp on the listener’s attention. Keep an ear on them, and don’t miss the opportunity to see them live on 12/2 at Baby’s All Right, where Water From Your Eyes are performing alongside Patio for Poppies’ tour return. – Sara Nuta