New York-based ensemble Casual Male’s sound is best epitomized by the cover of their most recent (and aptly titled) extended play, "EP": it’s a photograph of a small, tree-covered island in the middle of a verdant river valley. There’s a nostalgic, summer-y quality across the release’s five tracks, not one evocative of an overdone Californian surf-rock trope, but something more nuanced and sonically diverse that reads as a tripped-out summer spent in the Adirondacks. The crux of Casual Male’s artistry emerges in their instrumental tightness – their ability to pull off disorienting tempo shifting numbers like “Resistance,” or incorporate a discordant synthy swirl behind screaming R&B guitar riffing on “Takin’ It Easy,” keeps the entirety of the EP interesting, while walking that careful tightrope between classic and contemporary. Here’s hoping this new group continues to flesh out their vintage vision in the near future. – Connor Beckett McInerney

Another appointment with The Revolution is almost here! This Saturday, September 22, three Brooklyn and Harlem based artists will be representing the heart of NYC’s independent music at the gorgeous National Sawdust venue, located in the heart of Williamsburg. With a lineup that showcases the sheer diversity of our scene, Volume 31 of this series will feature performances by locally bred artists Danielle Grubb, GRXDNT, Eleni Arapoglou. Danielle Grub is a singer/songwriter who fuses together bits of funk, rock, and soul to forge a cool, modern rendition of the pop genre.  Coined as experimental soul, the two-piece GRXDNT indulges in electronic ambiance and slow burning beats to fuel their edgy, effortless sound. For those with a more classical taste, this year’s mix will also include the jazz-inspired songs of the angelic Eleni Arapoglou. Doors open at 9:30, check out the featured artists on The Deli’s Revolution #31 Soundcloud playlist below. – Rebecca Carroll

QWAM, a quartet hailing from New York, call Feed Me, their five-song EP released earlier this year, the first EP they are proud to show their moms – who were probably in their teens when the Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks dropped in 1977. Given how good it is, they should be proud to show anybody, even the most cynical of punks out there. At its best, Feed Me is a propulsive ball of rocking energy that will warm your heart before ripping it out. If they are in your area, and they have a show at the El Cortez in Brooklyn on September 28, do yourself a favor and check them out. – Chris Morgan

Self-produced solo artist Ryan Egan has generated a lot of interest with his modern blend of pop and soul. With R&B-inspired arrangements and meditative lyrics, this artist’s eclectic collection showcases a style that’s at once edgy and relatable. In his more popular tracks "Tongue of Yours" and "Between the Pages," Egan experiments with minimal electronic percussion and smooth falsetto vocals, creating melodies that move along with pleasant leisure. As a musician who has released two EPs solely from the facilities of his home studio, Egan continues to self-sufficiently head his music career with the upcoming release of a single, “Won’t You Be The One,” out on Friday, September 28. For now, you can check out single "Between the Pages" (streaming below) and catch him live at Brooklyn’s Elsewhere on Friday, August 28. – Rebecca Carroll

After honing their skills through a variety of production work and live show appearances, Brooklyn indie pop-rockers Gamblers have released the debut EP Corinthian Order (streaming below). The opening title track makes use of retro Farfisa-style keys, plucked electronic sounds and unadorned guitar arpeggios as a softly sung tale of breakup builds towards its do-do-do denouement. “We’re Bound To Be Together” masquerades outwardly as a buoyant uptempo rocker with Strokes-style churning guitars and Beatles-eque harmonies. A dichotomy is revealed as those words of love are meant to reflect an addict’s blissful state while on drugs. “Heavenly Mouse Routine” leans on its forward march beat, buzzy synth texture and staccato plucked guitar to approximate the repetitiveness that afflicts humanity. “There Was A Window” builds off the bands’ hip-hop production roots with percussive underpinnings serving an otherwise lo-fi/slacker rock approach. Closing track “The Selfish Bell” initially rocks harder through its chunky drum beat, distorted electric guitars and snaking bass line; falsetto vocals depict scenarios of self-imposed limitations against an expanding, near prog-rock-like composition. The EP is available for ordering via itunes as well as streaming on spotify. – Dave Cromwell

With her boundless voice and blistering lyricism, Samia has a special knack for revealing big situations through intimate details. Whether discussing her hamster’s name in ’21,’ or getting a rock star to listen to her music on ‘The Night Josh Tillman Listened To My Song,’ Samia finds lyrical perch by baring her soul through an itinerary of the everyday.

I thought of this while watching the video for her latest single, ‘Milk.’ Despite Samia’s repeated assurances throughout, I get the impression that the mess she is referring to here is more than ‘just spilled milk.’ No matter how often she tells you not to worry, or how many interesting details she confesses throughout (bathing in the grease on the McDonald’s floor, jumping off the pier at the seaport) you know there’s also something left unsaid, lingering like a suggestive gloss under the track’s shadowy contours and pulsating tension. It also marks an exciting turn from her previous work. Samia’s voice was never a stranger to the anxieties of growing up in a world that tends to shame the thoughts, voices, and bodies of outspoken feminists. But on ‘Milk,’ the emotional dial is turned up even louder, revealing what in other singers would be vulnerabilities. For Samia, these serve as forceful reminders of just how potent an artist she is becoming. Watch the video below, and see Samia perform at Rough Trade on Thursday, September 27th. – Mike Levine (@goldnuggets)

Chase Eiseman (of the Deli-approved Oakland post-punk trio Normies) takes on a new role in a project called Thriftys in the video for single “Leave Here Unknown” (streaming below), where he plays an extraterrestrial musician with an inability to blend in. In the clip, Eiseman’s green-painted skin and third eye aren’t his only traits that stand out; his easygoing falsetto in the chorus is a highlight of the track, and pulls listeners in more and more with each refrain. Like Normies, Thriftys is an Oakland group to watch — especially as Eiseman plays with band members that come from Bay Area staple bands Toyota, Babewatch, and Half Stack — and it allows Eiseman to harness the full power of his ear for pop. He played his first show as Thriftys alongside LA-via-Boston powerhouse Slothrust on Saturday, September 15. – Lilly Milman 

The climactic peak of “You Know You’ve Not a Thing,” the first single from Paper Fairy’s debut album, may be the drum solo-like bridge two-thirds of the way through the track. Up to that point, the song seems to plod through an obstacle course of noise and silence, as if restrained to simmer but never boil. Twitching instrumentals back dark lines where Chris Gaskell, the Brooklyn musician leading the project, repeats the title phrase: “you know you’ve not a thing to rely on,” “you know you’ve not a thing to hold on to,” but the track doesn’t peak until that middle section where distorted drums battle with chaotic jolts of sound. It’s a fitting introduction to Paper Fairy’s debut album, Haunter Haunted, which Gaskell describes as a horror concept album. Haunter Haunted will be self-released on October 26. Listen to “You Know You’ve Not a Thing” below, and check the project out live tomorrow (09.18) at Sunnyvale. – Cameron Carr

Once they find that balance of instrumentation, that catchy groove and winsome hook, most bands find ways to build up to those moments, not evolve them. But Dead Tooth’s latest single “Spirit” from their Still Beats EP, masters the transition from a slowburn balance of guitar licks, whispered vocals, and psychedelic bass, to increasingly tense drums with a distinct giddyup, frantic vocals and fuzzy wall of guitars. The track is reminiscent of My Morning Jacket, featuring a trippy, southern-rock jam with whispery vocals that solidify as the song continues to grow into a vibe all its own. And at its apex, the explosiveness returns to the simple melody that kicked everything off, a shift marking just how natural this band can craft dynamics in their music. Dead Tooth are set to perform September 17 at Secret Project Robot, and you can stream “Spirit” below. – Tucker Pennington

Ambient pop duo Belle Mare has announced a new EP, Liars, set for release on October 19. In the two charming preview singles, Liars and Spain, members Amelia Bushell and Thomas Servidone unveil a possibly catchier approach to a sound they have been developing since 2013, when their haunting debut EP was named NYC Record of the Month in this very blog. Layering their characteristically dreamy sound with a bouncier tempo, the duo’s new style showcases a bubblier side, while still preserving its ethereal quality. Stream Belle Mare’s newest track below. – Rebecca Carroll 

Detective Logan’s stylish synth-pop glides along at an innocuous pace, begging for comparisons to be made about similar artists that could be found on DFA. But it’s through this play on pastiche retro sounds where “Cool People” begins to warp the upbeat dance motifs and the subtly dark undertones begin to creep through. Mechanical synths lock into place over a stomping rhythm that would most likely crush a dance floor as the hook shrilly proclaims “I can feel there’s something strange” and “lonely hearts don’t break,” in a tone that sounds like its crystallizing the words the moment they’re sung. You can catch Detective Logan premiere “Cool People” at Berlin on September 19 and stream the single’s video below. –Tucker Pennington

The streak of singles from pronoun — the solo indie pop project of Alyse Vellturo — continues with "wrong", a track with a catchy riff and a lyric addressing loneliness and ended relationships. Along with the new song comes a video of Vellturo playing basketball against a team of suit-and-tie clad drones, all of whom eventually become her teammates dressed in pink. Those drones — played by her fellow artists on the Sleep Well label such as Cape Francis, Charles Fauna, and Sulene — symbolize Vellturo turning her feelings from lonely to positive and self-affirming through the power of fun and freedom. Watch the video for "wrong" below. – Will Sisskind