With new album Knock Hard on the way, Susannah Cutler’s musical project Yours Are The Only Ears has just unveiled a new single, "You and Bobby". Reflective of Cutler’s soft folk style, the production quality builds upon the work she’s released over the years; gone are the lo-fi artifacts from 2016’s EP friendship porn, making way for clarity in Cutler’s mellow guitar and wide-ranging voice, both of which explore the lower notes to drive home the theme of self-preservation and introspection after trauma. The heightened production makes every breath and subtle waver in Cutler’s airy voice audible; in there you can hear the layers of emotion which cover every word and note that she sings. "You and Bobby" is the third single off of the upcoming LP, which is titled Knock Hard; the album drops on May 11th, but Cutler will mark the release with a show at Alphaville on May 25th. Listen to "You and Bobby" below. – Will Sisskind

Rare is the country band who forms and finds an audience in the city, but Babies’ Babies has done just that. Though front woman Olivia Lurrie began performing live just a couple of months ago, her shows have drawn sizable audiences of fans who sway and dance to her and her band’s country-psych jams. Styling herself as a "neurotic southern belle" and a "manic prairie dream girl" – Olivia takes her influence from classic country and folk acts like Dolly Parton, Lee Hazelwood, and Nancy Sinatra. While the musical style evokes those artists, Lurrie’s lyrics describe more modern anxieties about heartbreak and self-discovery. On Babies’ latest album "Better Than Before", Lurrie sings almost autobiographically about a young country singer breaking out of a tumultuous relationship and leaving her small town to find success in the big city. 

Babies’ Babies will play Alphaville on May 5th; the band will consist of Lurrie and her backing group, known as "Always Waitin’ On The Man". Also on the bill: Lo-fi artist Dark Tea, country-synth performer Dougie Poole, and North Carolina-based band Drag Sounds. Stream Babies’ Babies’ latest single, "Small Town Syndrome", below. – Will Sisskind

Billy Libby has run the gamut when it comes to supporting his fellow indie acts, performing with bands like My Morning Jacket, Tokyo Police Club, Ingrid Michaelson, and Surfer Blood. Now it’s his time to shine: On May 4th, Libby will release his first record under the name Fort Gorgeous. The EP, called "The Bottom of the Sea", features lush indie pop, with hooky tracks like "Watch The Paint Dry" and "Wishing Well" highlighting Libby’s soaring voice. His lyrics come from long bouts of introspection; the brooding comes through the catchy chord changes, making these new songs perfect for fans of Jason Mraz, The Script, or Dashboard Confessional. 

You can stream preview single "Round and Round" below. Plus, you can catch Libby perform as Fort Gorgeous at May 8th at C’mon Everybody. – Will Sisskind

The minds behind electro-pop duo Nite Haus have released their newest track, called "Calling You", which we are premiering below. The music video for the hooky electronic track dropped in 2016, but the single itself comes from the upcoming release of Saturation. Carrie Turner provides the soft but dark vocals atop Nils Siegel’s acidic beats, and although the band’s influences include Daft Punk and New Order, you can hear a bit of Crystal Castles and classic Aphex Twin in there as well. Nite Haus have spent the last several months recording songs for Saturation in the same way as they recorded their debut album, Transform the Dark, in 2014: In Nils’s living room studio in Williamsburg. Before Saturation drops, watch the video for "Calling You" below. – Will Sisskind

Indie-folk singer-songwriter Shlomo Franklin releases his new EP "Don’t Love Anybody" on May 16th at Rockwood’s Stage 2. Franklin, one of the most active members of the NYC local music scene, tapped once again into his influences of Neil Young and Johnny Cash to produce the record’s title track. Released earlier this April, the song highlights Franklin’s rugged vocals and acoustic guitar, with other instruments — keys, bass, strings, drums — joining in as the desperation in Franklin’s voice swells throughout the song. As a love song filled with pining, Franklin makes sure to get the instrumentation and deliver the emotion just right, and he does, making such a delivery of raw fervor and honesty seem easy. Listen to "Don’t Love Anybody" below, and head to Rockwood on May 16th to pick up a copy of Franklin’s full EP. – Will Sisskind

Singer-songwriter Geena Kaye is about to release her first single, called "In March," from her upcoming EP, and we have a premiere for you. The track’s title reflects its tone, which evokes images of rainy days in early spring, and that seasonal, impatient and somewhat frustrated desire for the warmer days ahead.  Kaye’s soft voice wavering above orchestral arrangements cuts deep with emotion; the thickness of the delivery of her lyrics gives off the sense that everything around her is empty, waiting to become whole again. Kaye, who was raised in Germany listening to everything from Pink Floyd to Carole King, says that in writing the song, she imagined what Joni Mitchell would sound like if she was starting out today.

"In March" shows great promise from Kaye, who’ll play Gold Sounds on April 29th. Take a listen to The Deli’s premiere of "In March" below. – Will Sisskind

In the spring of 2017, Colatura vocalist/guitarist Digo Degorio convinced vocalist/guitarist Jennica Best to quit her job and start a band with him. With the help of drummer Rich DeGregorio, the band built up a following by playing shows around the city. Now they have a debut EP ready to release on April 13th. The EP, titled Spring Drew Blood, introduces the world to Colatura’s eclectic style, which takes from ’60s garage rock to ’90s grunge and post-punk. Tracks on the album examine the concept of self-worth, made clear in song titles such as "Is Love Enough?" and "Afraid". You can stream the latter track below. Listen for Degorio’s dreamy guitars which can turn crunchy on a dime, and for Best’s opera-tinged vocals.

Colatura will perform at a release show for Spring Drew Blood at Rose Gold on April 12th; get the EP there before it goes live online the next day. – Will Sisskind

Dru Cutler took the stage at Pianos on April 7th to release his newest LP, Bring Closer The Distance. The record marks a shift in lyrical content and production value for Cutler, who debuted in 2016 with the album Familiar. On Bring Closer The Distance, Cutler reaches out through his words to people who shaped him throughout his life, including his father who lives with bipolar disorder and his estranged stepmother. In songs like the thundering "Oceanside", which has hints of U2 and Bob Dylan, Cutler comes to terms with his reality and place in a conflicted world. Speaking of Dylan: Bring Closer The Distance showcases the mastering genius of engineer Dave McNair, who worked with Dylan and David Bowie, as well as mixing engineer Andy Taub, who has worked with Keith Richards and Ani DiFranco. Dru will host a vinyl listening party with intimate acoustic performance at Noho Sound on April 13. Stream single "Oceanside" below. – Will Sisskind

The debut album from NYC duo Anna/Kate Band, called How To Hold, is set to drop on March 23rd at the Downstairs Theater at La Mama in the East Village. Anna Gothard and Kate Foster have compiled nine of their songs into an album of queer folk-pop anthems with gripping harmonies, all of them recorded over six months in Ingrid Michaelson’s revered Grand Street Recording Studio. Both Anna and Kate are trained in the art of jazz singing, which can be heard in the soulful delivery of their stories. They have already released two singles from How To Hold: "I Run With You" has received plenty of traffic on Spotify in both the US and the UK, and "Even Over Odd" has grabbed the attention of Fordham University’s radio station, which called them an "Act To Watch" this year. Stream the Anna/Kate Band’s latest single from How To Hold, called "Shipwrecked (In My Motel Room)", below. – Will Sisskind

SXSW gains another up-and-coming singer-songwriter — as well as another filmmaker — in Courtney Farren. The Bay Area-based artist, who now lives in Brooklyn, will play CU29 on March 14th at midnight. That performance will add another to the string of incredible experiences Farren has chalked up over the past year, including a European mini-tour, a six-track album called "Nothing Like It", a write-up and interview by Kodak about her love of Super 8mm film, and a handful of new films, some of which act as music videos for her songs.

To sum up Farren’s sound: The subtle indie-romance flicks shown at short film festivals — perhaps at SXSW — could gain from a soundtrack of her soothing vocals and swirling arrangements. You can stream her music film for one of her latest tracks, called "Go Easy", below. – Will Sisskind

A couple of years ago, soul powerhouse Pam Steebler graced The Deli ‘s NYC as one of its Best Emerging NYC Artists. Now she’s back with a new track called "Noise", from her upcoming EP of the same name. "Noise" takes the Brazilian-Canadian songwriter’s soulful voice and layers it over bubbling electronic synths and drums, which add a depth to the passionate sound she released to the world on her 2015 Give In EP. It’s certainly a song to keep in your pocket for the approaching dog days of summer. More songs are on the way from Noise, but The Deli is proud to premiere the title track, which you can stream below. – Will Sisskind

Something groovy comes this weekend: It’s CHAPPO‘s third album DO IT, which drops on Friday. After a long stretch of tragedies for the band — a member leaving, a lost son, a friend’s suicide — this album stands as a product of catharsis. That comes through in electric anthems like "Cry On Me" and the sizzling single "White Noise". The production expertise of John Vanderslice (The Mountain Goats, St. Vincent, Spoon) brings out the celebratory energy of each transforming track on the record. DO IT‘s release leads into a small stint touring in early March; they’ll head from Georgia to Pennsylvania in support of the Flaming Lips. Catch the latest single, "White Noise", below. – Will Sisskind