In the the beginning of 2018, Dream-pop five-piece Barrie put out shimmering singles, “Canyons,” and “Tal Uno,” before releasing a 12” in October aptly titled Singles. The Brooklyn-based band hail from all over the country (and world), but have recently converged in New York to collaborate and write songs together. Their dreamy sound puts an ambient spin on retro synth pop, which makes for ultra gorgeous tracks that swirl in a neon glow. In 2019, they’ll be hitting the road in support of Miya Frolick in a US and Canada tour. Listen to "Michigan" below. Sara Nuta

Noel Heroux and Jessica Zambri, active in the NYC scene since the mid aughts, released music separately through Hooray for Earth (Noel’s first breakout project, disbanded in 2014) and Zambri (the electronic band Jessica still plays in with sister Cristi Jo) and became the two creative forces behind Mass Gothic. The two musicians share an interest for dark atmospheres and edgy arrangements. They found themselves involved in a romantic relationship that soon developed in an involved artistic collaboration, which fully bloomed in Mass Gothic’s sophomore album, entitled "I’ve Tortured You Long Enough," released earlier this year through Sub Pop records. Our sister blog Delicious Audio asked Noel to share some thoughts about the creative experience and the gear behind it, read his answers here. – Photo by Sammy Goldfien

Yes yes yes! Poppy, punky and some solid rock n’ roll, The Six Sevens are working some justice on their new album, “Watch Your Head.” We’re glad to have snagged them from down in Santa Barbara, whose beachy skater vibes sneak into a couple tracks in just the right way. Influenced by groups like Joyce Manor, The Front Bottoms and The Districts, their songs have funny, youthful lyrics, a refreshing mix of old school harmonies and guitar ticklings that remind us of the Strokes with a touch of Weezer. Shout out to track “San Francisco” for obvious reasons and “Back to the Start” for those killer melodies. It’s an album that’s easy to fall for on the first listen and it was all written, mixed and produced in their garage. We’re glad to have these boys around to play the local scene. Stay tuned for details on their next show in Oakland this January. And ‘til then, crank it. – Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

A Brooklyn band that was born to be appreciated in the triangle of land enclosed between Manchester, Milan and Berlin, Tempers has been slowly finding recognition… exactly there. Proponents of a brand of coldwave (aka synth-post-punk) that most Americans will find unnecessarily depressing, the duo has released an excellent debut album in 2015 that – like all good records – has not stopped conquering hearts just yet (it’s called "Services"). After spending four years touring and promoting that release, the duo has finally come out with their sophomore full length, which takes their lugubrious electronic music to new levels of abstraction and intellectual exploration. Presented as "a concept album about the architecture of consumerism," the record features conversations with iconic dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and a more explorative sound that’s less influenced by the canons of the electronic new wave of the ’80s. Check out the video for single "Love at the Mall."

Northampton’s Sun Parade can do it all. Last year’s Shuggy Mtn Breakdown was the perfect blend of tender lyricism, fun pop-leaning harmonies, explosive guitar breakdowns, and playful melodies. Their September release, the upbeat single "WUNNANUTHR TIME" (streaming below), grooves in a different way. Built on a simple, danceable beat, the track incorporates a more psychedelic side, while also nodding towards some elements of disco. It sounds just as fresh as it did back in the spring when it was released, and it’s exactly what we need to look back on to get us through another New England winter. Sun Parade will be shipping off to NYC to accompany Blac Rabbit on their two-night New Year’s Eve run at the Mercury Lounge. Bring in the new year with Blac Rabbit, Sun Parade, and Huck (a Deli NYC favorite) on December 30. – Lilly Milman

This week, Wilder Maker’s Gabriel Birnbaum shared the first piece of his debut solo project with the new single, “Stack the Miles.” As a preview of his forthcoming record, “Stack the Miles” succeeds in doing justice to this artist’s distinct vocal style and cerebral Americana. The mid-tempo, acoustic feel of this new track calls to mind the folky disposition of Milky Chance’s “Stolen Dance,” with a raw composure that has been likened to early Bon Iver. Currently still involved with acclaimed Ethiopian pop ensemble Debo Band and indie rock group Wilder Maker, Birnbaum seems to have pulled his wide knowledge of genre into the DNA of this new material, forming a unique new spawn of mellow Americana. The Deli caught a glimpse of Birnbaum’s upcoming full-length LP, set for release in 2019, and, let me say, there are more smoldering, soothing sounds waiting for you. Check out Gabriel’s Birnbaum’s new “Stack the Miles” below, and don’t miss him debuting his new music at Mercury Lounge on 12.18, sharing the stage with Brooklyn band, Office Culture. – Rebecca Carroll

One of the most difficult tasks for a musical artist is to develop her project’s sound after a first, well-received album. Being diagnosed with thyroid cancer and a genetic joint disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, conditions that affect vocals and instrumental ability, certainly doesn’t make the challenge any easier. None of this prevented Brooklyn songwriter Thelma (aka Natasha Jacobs) from taking her music to the next level in less than two years. Her 2017 self titled debut LP was a collection of heartfelt and somewhat odd orchestral ballads. From the sound of the first single from sophomore LP "The Only Thing," Jacobs is upping the ante of her songwriting by amplifying the oddness and intensity of her chord progressions, lyrics, melodies and arrangements. A sparse and imaginative mid-tempo featuring acoustic drums, synths and harp, Take me to Orlando" is an ode to illusions, a poem dedicated to a yet-to-be-met lover to whom Thelma sings: "I love how you play with illusion / cause you know how badly we need them / But honey you’re so real / and you dance around fear […] and you don’t make me feel like I’m the woman I am not." Which sounds like a cleared-sighted expression of the healing power of art-making.

Don’t miss Thelma’s live show at Trans-Pecos on December 20th and look out for her new album, scheduled for a February 22 release.

Brooklyn collective Sloppy Jane is slowly but inexorably building a growing fanbase through a double-punch of theatrical post-punk delivered through a live performance that caters to widespread voyeuristic inclinations. At their shows you can expect an atmosphere reminiscent of pagan rituals, where noisy guitars, screaming voices, twisted lyrics and naked bodies concoct a performance that’s provocative at every level. 2018 album Willow sounds like a theatrical post-punk/DIY opera and – allegedly – tells the story of a “girl who existed inside of a strip club in Inglewood, who ran away to the desert to hustle pool with a lion, and who burned herself alive for [our] freedom.” It’s a powerful record filled with odd tracks that develop in unexpected sonic and vocal directions, without ever sounding disjointed or randomly assembled. Its manic energy well represents a band whose most noteworthy strength resides in a live show that is absolutely impossible to ignore. The band recently announced a short tour in the South and their participation in the 2019 SXSW Festival

“Hell is beautiful and everyone wants to go there.”

This haunting sentence lingers, like many, on Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist Jake Harms’ “Aquarium,” the title track from his recently released six track EP out on Good Eye Records. Harms, who performs mononymously on Aquarium but comprises one-forth of Brooklyn lofi outfit What Moon Things, channels a baritone vocal performance immediately evocative of late ’70s post-punk, with its mellifluous, dark quality occasionally breaking into a scream against a cataclysm of dreamgaze guitars and analogue synth. The whole of Aquarium is driven in large part by the size and power of Harms’ lyricism and vocal delivery, a heartbreakingly raw performance that explores depression, self-doubt, and regret. It’s visceral, overpowering, and at times deeply uncomfortable, but HARMS composes some of the most honest, unapologetic songwriting to come out of New York this year, meriting praise from its bold presentation of the uncomfortability of human existence. Stream HARMS’ Aquarium below. –Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)

We’ve been saying for years that female indie musicians have, on average, been producing a lot more interesting material than their dude counterparts, and L’Freaq, the project of bi-coastal electronic singer songwriter Lea Cappelli, is another piece in the truly beautiful puzzle representing NYC women’s musical output in the new millennium. After releasing the delicate yet edgy electro-soul ballad "Weird Awakenings," the artists has recently unveiled a darker (and even edgier) single/video combo with  "Moonlight" – streaming below. Channeling the experimental, noir ballads of Portishead, the track features a deceivingly sparse arrangement, blending a killer plodding and syncopated rhythm section with ever-evolving, ambient electronic soundscape. Lea’s vocals not only confirm her noteworthy pipes and silky tone, but also reveal her ability to convey character to a performance and "play" the song’s part, a trait only few musical performer possess. Don’t miss her next live performance at Rockwood on February 2nd.

NYC-based artist Car Astor has given synth-pop a number of makeovers since beginning her solo career in 2016. Over the course of her two EP and two single releases, this singer/songwriter has displayed her talent as an emerging artist by mixing clean blends of synth-heavy electro pop. Her wide vocal range steers her sound, allowing her to deliver in formats ranging from poignant ballads to danceable hits. But it is Car Astor’s experimentation that pushes her music beyond the lines of her genre. Her most recent single, “Girlfriend,” (featured below) coolly executes a catchy pop melody, but is given depth with an electro-rock backbone and a defiant lyrical attitude. Though she may abide by archetypical pop song structures, this frontwoman’s darker style and killer vocal control is enough to give her sound a more sultry, polished edge. Her more touching songs, however, like “She Cries” and “Closed Eyes Open” off her first EP Ties, expose the softness around this artist’s edges with their rich arrangements and thoughtful substance.  Check Car Astor out for yourself on Soundcloud or Spotify and catch her playing live at Mercury Lounge on December 23. – Rebecca Carroll

This lady is a force! We feel empowered just listening to Rose Droll. A genre-less wonder, Miss Rose gives us a little bit of a lot of things and we want more more more. Samples are interwoven in tasteful snippets, from Lou Reed baselines to “This Little Light of Mine” lyrics. There are parts we can only describe as coy-strong lady rap, interjected at the perfect moments (a poetic “…so baby, when you gonna give a fuck?” in the same breath as a line from “Ring Around the Rosie”…what the hell? Yes!). There are colorful bursts of instrumental delight–all her own doings–and to accompany it all, is that voice: fluid, lovely and nailing every pitch it tries to reach. Like we said, she’s a class all her own, but in an attempt to compare: if you enjoy Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten, Tune Yards and badass versions of your favorite nursery rhymes, you’ll probably dig this as much as we do. Come see her at The Independent this Thursday the 13th where she’s playing alongside Pllush, Pardoner and SOAR. – Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor