Alt-rock duo A Shadow of Jaguar will release their new full-length album Different Brain on January 11th at Knitting Factory, but they’ve released its first single “Love You, Hate You” as a preview. One listen to this Deli premiere and you’ll understand why A Shadow of Jaguar are a band to watch going into the new decade. The duo’s grunge-inspired riffs pack lots of energy and emotion, especially on a track like “Love You, Hate You” which tells the story of love without the happy ending. A Shadow of Jaguar will release Different Brain on a bill alongside fellow Brooklyn bands The Rizzos and Ovareasy; ring in the new year with all of them on January 11th. – Will Sisskind

Paper Fairy returns with a video for the new single "We Laugh", featuring project mastermind Chris Gaskell and a whole lot of feet. The single comes from the NYC-based band’s Tautology EP, a follow-up to last year’s Haunter Haunted. On Tautology, Gaskell’s avant-garde pop creates a dialogue between the concepts of the real self and the performed self. The video for "We Laugh" shows this conversation through close-ups of feet touching, Gaskell’s face appearing in the big toenail (an unlikely place for a face to appear), and glass causing blood to spill, along with other examinations of body, pain, and voyeurism. Take a look at the strange, weirdly-engrossing video below, and catch Paper Fairy at Berlin on December 8th for the video release show. – Will Sisskind

We continue to rush headfirst without resistance towards the future, but at least HOAX have the sense to slow down, examine the world, and put it to lyrics and song. Their Motown-influenced Queens-born indie pop-rock shines again on their newest single "Unconditional", a cut from their upcoming debut record b?, which drops next summer. Through its catchy pop hooks, "Unconditional" forces listeners to consider their own Terms of Service and decide with which parts of it they do and don’t agree. It’s a reflective track that urges all of us to take a moment and figure ourselves out before we crash and burn on our way into the next decade. Take a listen to "Unconditional" below. – Will Sisskind

Lokomoko arrives in Brooklyn to release their new album "Go Mi Ka Di Da Be" on November 15th. The project, led by songwriter Mario Schöning, began the album in Schöning’s hometown of Hamburg, Germany. Now in New York, Schöning releases this collection of songs, opening up a new audience of ears to his transcendental alt-pop sound. Fans of Ratatat or Ariel Pink will find the retro flair and wailing synths fascinating; you can get a sample of them on the single "Everything Ever Ever." Take a look at the music video for the song below. – Will Sisskind

Lexica, an experimental group formed in the burgeoning arts scene in mid-Nineties Harlem, have released Lost & Left To Be Imagined, an album which up until now never saw the light of day. The 2002 recording, which featured the trippy proto-EDM stylings of Lorraine Lelis, Stephen Krieger, and Erik Laroi, was well-hyped before its release, but ended up in the dustbin of history. However, the band was finally able to unearth it, and with it, the single "Faint Hue", a shimmering song which features Lelis’s layered vocals, the relaxing and haunting beats of Kreiger, and the subtle but powerful guitar work of Laroi. Give this long-lost track a listen for yourself down below. – Will Sisskind

Back with their indie folk style and infectious tunes, The Morning Sea have a new record called Half Keys set for release on November 1st. The past year included big accomplishments for the band; their song "Listen Love" won two 2019 Independent Music Awards, and countless publications continued to praise their work on their past albums. Half Keys took shape entirely in band member Sonny Ratcliff’s Brooklyn apartment, using all acoustic instruments and it mostly consists of first or second takes. The result is an honest and passion-filled compilation of songwriter and frontman Adam Cohen’s tracks, which deals with lost love and all of the heartbreak and healing that comes with it. The Morning Sea will celebrate the release of Half Keys with a show at Rockwood Music Hall’s Stage 3 on November 2nd. Take a look at the music video for the single "Mad In Berlin", and the entire LP Half Keys, below. – Will Sisskind

Songwriter Scout Gillett will open for Dares and Greet Death at Berlin on November 3rd. Scout released her first indie single "Signal" in February, as well as her second — "Mother Of Myself" — in July. Scout embarked on a West Coast tour this past summer, increasing her national presence as a rising artist, and just a couple of weeks ago she released the music video to "Mother Of Myself", which you can watch below. Like Gillett’s other work, it rises and falls with emotion and shifts from idea to idea seamlessly. Catch Scout live at Berlin on November 3rd to see her passionate performance for yourself. – Will Sisskind

Rough Trade’s stage remains one of the biggest for indie artists who come through New York, whether they’re up-and-comers or established acts in the scene. Grace Ives straddles that line, as she’s by no means green to creating great electropop, but she continues to attract new fans with every release and performance. Ives’ next show will take place on the Rough Trade stage on October 25th; while there’s no new album to support, she’ll share the bill with Claud Mintz, with whom she’s toured for the past couple of months. Ives’ last album 2nd came out last April; take a look at the recent music video for her track "Icing On The Cake" below. – Will Sisskind

Often times, a song will take a turn that evokes memories of another band’s music. In Sepoy‘s "Holy War" alone, they call forth the spirits of U2, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and LCD Soundsystem, among bits and pieces of others. And yet, Sepoy manages to take these alt-rock, psych rock, and power pop influences and spin them into their own sound, creating music that is full of energy and emotion and fit for a live stage. The band will take that stage on October 11th at Mercury Lounge; if you love Sepoy’s mix of sounds, you’ll want to attend this show to hear their new single "Motor Vehicle". Take a listen to their previous single "Till The End Of Time" below. – Will Sisskind

Blonde Redhead fans will delight in seeing Kazu Makino step out on her own and perform her solo material at Rough Trade on October 11th. Makino has released her first solo album called Adult Baby, which contains much of the same entrancing psych artistry that her band’s fans have come to expect. Adult Baby takes that to the next level, as Makino plans to release a visual aspect to the record as well. The artist has already released the video to "Come Behind Me, So Good!" as part of that visual album; as if the faux-Satanic tint to the backwards-masked-sounding lyrics wasn’t enough, in the video, Makino gyrates in a sheer outfit before the altar and the image of Jesus as other revelers sway in time with her. Take a look at the video for yourself, and go see her at Rough Trade on October 11th. – Will Sisskind

Based out of Charlottesville, Kate Bollinger‘s jazz-infused blend of indie pop marks the end of summer with the release of her EP I Don’t Wanna Lose. The EP’s five tracks provide a relaxing and introspective soundtrack for the cooling temperatures and the dying of days on the beach as the leaves start to fall. The EP’s final track "Talk About It" is an upbeat song for taking a walk in the autumn breeze. Take a listen to it below, and check out the B-side version on Kate’s Soundcloud for an even more chilled out groove. – Will Sisskind

Caleb Giles believes in free rhythm, as he’s explored on his two previous records Tower and There Will Be Rain. His third album, Under The Shade, continues to push the boundaries of poetry in hip-hop; Giles combines soulful lyrics in both spoken word and song with basic beats, and then layers on transporting sounds and voices to expand the atmosphere of the track. The production results in an abstract and almost dreamlike hip-hop testament which feels loose but tight, comfortable but unsettling, and all-around reflective of Giles’ take on what it means to be an artist and a human. Take a listen to the track Quicksand (ft. Pink Siifu)" below and don’t miss him live tomorrow (09.17) at Elsewhere. – Will Sisskind