Brooklyn-based four-piece Taking Meds boldly advocates their distinct musical style, ascribing to the self-created genre, ’math-punk’. With several members who were previously – and some who still remain – involved in Rochester’s pop punk project Such Gold, it is no surprise that Taking Meds’ complex instrumental sound draws from an assortment genres across the punk/rock board. Post-hardcore and math rock drive the majority of this band’s disjointed yet dynamic tracks, but it is their subtle emo and indie rock influences that pack their tracks with a chaotic tapestry of styles. After producing their debut album My Life as a Bro in 2016, the group returned to the studio earlier this year to begin recording their second LP. Many of their songs like “Blue Shirt Boogie” and “Comfort in Poor Planning” fuse aspects of classic, dissonant punk with the relatable energy of modern indie rock, creating a combination of hard-biting lyrics and rhythmic complexity that penetrates the spirit of punk rock. With vocals that err on the side of Four Year Strong or Neck Deep, blended into layers of Balance and Composure-esq post-hardcore instrumentals, you are left with a cutting mixture of pure, intense noise. See them live at Brooklyn’s Elsewhere on November 5.

Rarely is an artist able to evoke the spirit of “night time” in a way that encapsulates all its mysterious, ethereal, and melancholic characteristics as Sandy Davis does on her most recent effort, After Dark. Over the course of six sparse tracks, Davis, who records under the project name Pecas, employs somber and occasionally haunting vocals that leads listeners on an interpersonal nocturne journey, capturing the nuance of sentiments we all occasionally feel when the lights go down – like a lonely evening wishing for company on “Tuesdays,” or self-deprecating thoughts gone awry on “French Kiss.” This, in tandem with acute retro synth accents and discordant, noodling guitar work, solidifies After Hours as a landmark release for Pecas; Davis’ ability to perfectly fit form to function in terms of the linkage between lyricism and instrumentation puts this record in a league of its own, and a standout among recent releases.
Pecas will bring her evening soundscapes to Union Pool on 10.11, performing alongside Nathan Xander. You can stream After Hours now on Bandcamp. – Connor McInerney (@b_ck_tt), Photo by Matt Allen.

Like a zombie risen from the soil of CBGB, Public Practice have all the markings of a great New York punk outfit. On their breakout single "Fate/Glory," there’s the effortlessly cool poetry found in the lyrics, the manic energy that kicks into overdrive in the second half, and the precise instrumentation that simultaneously feels off-the-cuff. But once the dust finally settles, it’s clear there’s a lot more going on than a tribute to a bygone era; the frenzy the group has crafted is remarkably danceable, and feels like a more polished cut from The Sonics rather than a Talking Heads track. With just one single out, we look forward to hearing what else this group has to offer when their EP Distance is a Mirror drops at their release show at Alphaville on Oct. 26. – Tucker Pennington

Sophistipop melodies and vaporwave undercurrents ride through Corbo‘s new album Love & Productivity, now out on Chewing Foil Records. A member of Los Angeles psych-beat group Bür Gür, Corbin Clarke released his label debut on beat scene imprint New Los Angeles and has spent considerable time navigating introspective passages of Adrift to come out with 20 piecemeal tracks of big hyperreal mood.

Corbo performs tomorrow at Chewing Foil’s AFTER HOURS VHS Virtual Release Show, watch a preview of the show and the music video to "if you only knew…" here.

Brooklyn-based alt/indie folk artist Nathan Xander was not always so acquainted with the New York City music scene. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, this singer-songwriter brought to the big apple his psychedelic brand of alt folk alt-folk that cuts through the harsher city soundscapes. With the release of his fourth full-length LP, Blue House, Xander set himself apart from the noise with humbled attitude and grounded lyrical content. Akin to the dreamy repertoire of Dr. Dog or Neutral Milk Hotel, Xander’s music possesses a melancholic nostalgia that indulges in the reminiscence of his previous lifestyle and the conflict of feeling torn between identities. Often examining the complexities of urban culture, this coming-of-age album traces the growth of this musician, both artistically as well as personally. With meditative tracks such as “Over You, Over Me” and “(What It Takes) To Make a Man”, Nathan’s stunning sonic atmospheres, combined with his musings on change, create a beautiful account of overcoming imperfection and insecurity. Watch his stories come alive during his live performance at Union Pool on October 11, featuring special NYC guests Quicksilver Daydream and Pecas.

The lines are blurred on all fronts in Kid Le Chat’s newest video for "Lost Critters." The new wave influence that housed their vision of what synth heavy rock can be seems to be falling apart, and it’s an astonishing deconstruction of inspirations. The oscillation between digital and analog electronics, bedroom pop verses and arena rock hooks, and colorful visuals layered over naturalistic landscapes in the video makes it difficult to discern where one influence begins and another ends. The song wholly encompasses influences and views them through a singular lens, shifting in tempo and mood yet maintaining it’s cooly driven focus. You can stream the video below and catch Kid Le Chat at Union Pool on October 24 and at Berlin on October 27th. -Tucker Pennington

BOYTOY are a self-described “summer strut down a New York sidewalk,” but their most recent effort (and sophomore release) Night Leaf is the product of a West Coast environment, recorded at Pump House Studio in Topanga Canyon, California. The synthesis of a bi-coastal environment is immediately apparent on Night: we’re presented with tight, sundrenched guitar lines interwoven between raucous, New York-punk inspired vox and lyrics, manifesting a final product that reads as Mike Love by-way-of the Lower East Side. While many bands struggle to break free from the musical zeitgeist of their home environment, BOYTOY effortlessly bounds outwards into new sonic territory on Night Leaf, proving themselves as one of the more adaptable and exciting bands in NYC today.

BOYTOY will bring their coast-to-coast vision to new shores this September as they embark on their tour of Australia, beginning at Collingwood’s The Tote on 9/27. You can find the rest of their Aussie dates here – in the meantime, check out their video for “NY Rip Off” below if you want a taste of their Northeast origins. –Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)

Synesthesia can be a complex, difficult idea to communicate to those who don’t experience it. Sure, there’s a good chunk of musicians who perceive sounds as colors, but to instill that into the DNA of a song so it is evident to all listeners can be a pesky thing to nail down. That’s exactly what duo Good Days accomplishes on “Orange, ” the latest single from their upcoming album ROYGBIV. The track blends together the harmonic bliss of 60’s surf-pop with subtly implemented soul-pop flourishes that offer up a full-bodied depiction of an orange sunrise. The same way, the group transforms uplifting platitudes into genuinely motivating assurances with their lyrics, they also flip nostalgic vibes into something that feels fresh in its execution. You can stream “Orange” below and be on the lookout for the rest of the colors to be represented on their forthcoming album. -Tucker Pennington

So many bands attempt to replicate the sound of the 80’s without understanding the nuance of what made music from that era great: it was loud, fun and not afraid to commit to those tenets. Luckily, bands like The Values prove they can capture synth-pop nostalgia and transform it into a 21st-century extravaganza. On single “Imposter,” fat, bubbling synths quickly build to an energetic peak that the track maintains through shimmering guitars and a distinct millennial message of feeling paranoid about one’s own genuineness. The track is almost effortless in its recreation of Madonna levels of glamour and bravado, yet "Imposter" exists in its own realm, a product of its time and place, and feels fresh beacuse of that. You can stream the duo’s new song below. –Tucker Pennington

Nashville-based recording artist Emery Adeline will step into Brooklyn’s Leesta Vall studio on September 28th to record live takes of songs from her latest album Killin’ Time direct to vinyl. Leesta Vall specializes in lathe-cut live recordings, and Adeline’s folk spirit fits well with the DIY nature of putting music like magic onto a disc in real time. Music lovers who want one of these limited edition live takes should pre-order before September 28th choosing the song they’d like recorded. No two recordings will be the same, so each disc will truly be one-of-a-kind, containing a live take of one of Adeline’s songs from Killin’ Time. It’s folk music in its finest form: Flash-in-the-pan, intimate bursts of music that are never the same way twice. Listen to Adeline perform "Drink to You" live below, and pre-order your own live lathe-cut vinyl recording at Leesta Vall‘s website. – Will Sisskind

The music of Odetta Hartman is fueled by creation, no matter the outcome, and Old Rockhounds Never Die is a wellspring of genuine freak-folk experimentation. Spiraling banjos and country pianos could turn into short, tuneful folk ballads, or they succinctly end as sweet vignettes that playfully tinker with sound. This sophomore album proves that the way Hartman deconstructed home-spun atmosphere on her debut was more than just a phase; it’s a fully integrated accent in her music that unravels throughout each song. Field recordings of oceans and trains are malleably crafted, intertwining with the more “authentic” sounds to instill a trans-generational voice to her songwriting. The shorter instrumentals on Rockhounds often feel like ideas that could bud into their own unique genres, blending hip-hop and noise, almost flaunting the number of potential ideas each song hides. This playfulness doesn’t attempt to hide the raw sentiment of Hartman’s lyrics; sorrow and rage and sensuality feel quite genuine against this idiosyncratic backdrop. Old Rockhounds Never Die finds reverie when it digs its talons into sonic territories that bleed together, and each composition is a grove of ideas begging to be explored. –Tucker Pennington

Mexico City bred and currently Brooklyn-based band, Frege, have create a very intriguing melange of sonic elements with their latest single, “Stilfs.” Released with a sultry accompanying music video, the track blends mellow, noir atmospheres with soulful vocals that satisfy our never-ending craving for catchy melodies. Unexpected sonic developments, like an accelerated chorus driven by an ingenious, fragmented drum pattern, or experimentation with electronic textures, keep things interesting throughout the song, without letting things get too "out there" to be thoroughly enjoyed. Following on the steps of avant-pop artists like Radiohead and Talk Talk, these guys aspire to provoke thought, and pull big sounds and even bigger concepts into each little groove of theirs. Listen to the single below, and check out Frege’s live session of their new track here. – Rebecca Carroll – photo credit: Maureen Evans