It’s easy to imagine yourself in a verdant, lonely locale when listening to the music of East Village-based songwriter Trafton, and new single “Gone” is his coldest, most distant destination yet. Damper-pedaled pianos and an at times whispering falsetto endow this recent offering with visions of wintery woods, a more key-friendly take on the isolation familiar to fans of Bon Iver or Thoreau’s Walden. Within this distance established between Trafton and the listener, however, is a separate, more intrinsic loneliness, the product of a separation between the artist and their now-gone ex-love, as well as a desire to return; Trafton’s parting words implore the individual to “come tell me I’m wrong, and please don’t be gone.” It’s a haunting track that will resonate with fans of folk and good songwriting during this cold December— listen below. —Connor Beckett McInerney

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

Dreamy, introspective songwriter Annie Hart releases her sophomore solo album “A Softer Offering” this month, two years after her “Impossible Accomplice” debut. Already known as an innovative film composer and founding member of Lynchian synth-faves Au Revoir Simone, Hart continues to expand her body of work with this latest release. Opting for a more spacious, minimal sound, first single and video (streaming below) “Wilderness Hill” centers around a steady low note pulse and stark electric piano chords. With self -directed video footage shot in the songtitle referencing area of Margate, England combined with hometown Rockaway Beach imagery, Annie’s hushed vocals match this early morning contemplative mood. Follow-up single “Don’t Breathe For Me” employs singular held keyboard pads, angular electronic percussion and deep-twang melodies behind a raw vocal recitation on the need to move on. The whole album is a cohesive work that emphasizes the spaces inbetween our hectic lives, where our own thoughts are encouraged to mingle with the artists creations. The album is out in full on 12/13 with a release show that night at Union Pool. – Dave Cromwell

Part of living in New York is an unfortunately normalized culture of exhaustion, both physical and emotional. Few cities can boast a guide of the Best/Worst places to Cry in Public; such cultural phenomena are likely a product of rising rents, a drive by management for greater productivity over the course of the 40 (or 50, or 60) hour work week, and failing infrastructure (just a guess). And despite the bullshit, we’re all still here, a sentiment at the core of Noah Chenfeld’s new single “I Love Being Tired.” Lamenting the necessity to save money, the crowded nature of the subway, and the absolutely brutal winters, Chenfeld finds resolve on the song’s chorus, aptly crooning “I love being tired” over vintage, Zombies-esque keys sand syncopated Fender chords. Chenfeld’s lyrics are both a passive acceptance of the hurried lifestyle inherent to city living and a tongue-in-cheek critique of the rat race we’re all active participants in; listen to it this weekend when someone at a party asks you “how are you doing” and you politely abstain from telling them how you really feel, and catch Noah Chenfeld at Pianos on December 6th. —Connor Beckett McInerney

Oakland-based alt-pop artist Sun Kin just released the single “IDKY” off forthcoming LP Private Time. Kabir Kumar, the India-born artist behind the music, seeks to point out what he calls the “shallowness of algorithmic music selection” that we’re surrounded by. Kin creates bedroom pop songs heavy on the organs with earnest lyrical inflections. Says the track: “When it’s the date of the show/Just simply act like you know/It’s okay to be admired/And while you’re sharing your screen/You must pretend like you have seen/The confidence of a paycheck.” Where the song really shines is in the composition with special praise to those horns and percussion. The full LP is full of catchy soulful pop songs with special guests sprinkled throughout. Sun Kin releases Private Time on January 17th, where they’ll be playing The Starline Social Club. -Lucille Faulkner 

Photo: Ginger Fierstein

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

The other night I found myself at Woods, playing cards with a friend and enjoying the finest cider I’d laid lips on in a while. A local quartet had just set up and as the music on the speakers died down, the vibrant sounds of jazz lit up the space and I’m telling you: the room shifted. Bassist Lisa Mezzacappa was killing it, Jordan Glenn snapped away on those drums, the trombone and the alto sax blended beautifully. At one point my card playing partner turned to me with happy shaking head, saying, “Who is this?” Between songs I went up to ask the trombonist (Rob Ewing) who wrote the piece and he pointed to saxist Beth Schenck. “It’s called ‘Dedicated To,’” he told me. Amazing.

I’ve since been digging on more SIFTER and found myself listening to another project led by Ewing, Junior Reggae, who just released their latest album These Lines, off Slow and Steady Records. The band is “avant-dub,” with modern jazz at its core but with—as the name suggests—a marriage of reggae, dub and fluid jazz compositions throughout. Influenced by Augustus Pablo and Lee “Scratch” Perry, the group is a unique find that brings together an inspiring collection of musicians. There’s Max Miller-Loran on trumpet and keys, Steven Blum on keys, Jason Levis on percussions and Rob Ewing on bass, trombone, keys and more percussion. It’s an ear fest. Junior Reggae is playing Woods this Friday December 6 from 5-8. Come on out for an evening and save me a cider. –Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

Album artwork by Jesse Rimler. 

Uncertainty permeates “Certain Thoughts,” the latest single by NYC indie pop trio Deep Sea Peach Tree, interspersed among jangling, treble-friendly guitars and an unperturbed vocal performance by frontman Kristof Denis. Amidst lyrics detailing how “some things never change,” Deap Sea Peach Tree play on, their bright, upbeat sound counteracting the song’s meandering narrative. In the same sense that Denis’s lyricism seems to accept the cards as they fall, that despite how he may “look for answers, [they] never appear,” the band seems happy to play on, embedding “Certain Thoughts” with a certain sunny optimism and a compartmentalized worldview; listen below, and catch Deep Sea Peach Tree at Our Wicked Lady on December 7th, alongside QWAM, the Down & Outs, and Lackadazies, presented by Bloodless Management. —Connor Beckett McInerney

Post-punk outfit FLEXÏ’s debut effort EP I is a scorching affair, marked by aggressive deadpan vocal performances, acid-washed guitars, and a seemingly unstoppable momentum. Starting on a stuttering, syncopated invocation of the trio’s proclivity for asynchronous instrumental lines and a screaming vox (“Post Synapse”) and concluding with tactile, nearly spoken word trudge on closer “No Sense in Reason,” FLEXÏ explore a range of noise throughout the extended play’s six tracks, never letting their sound get stale. Listen below, and catch them on December 4th at Our Wicked Lady, supporting BRNDA, Fat Heaven, and Dougie Poole. Photo by Joe Saturday (via Instagram)

Brooklyn post-punk trio Patio’s debut LP Essentials is an engaging, introspective, and darkly humorous listen. From the sinister bass and spoken-word vocals of opener “Split,” to the self-effacing lyrics of “Boy Scout,” and concluding with an evenhanded examination of the present (and future) on “Legacy Continued,” Patio demonstrate a penchant for idiosyncratic songwriting and energetic, guitar-driven instrumentality. The band’s ability to reconcile the often-discordant nature of their playing with the intensely honest (but hopefully optimistic) lyricism makes Essentials a good album for those craving a down-to-earth, no bullshit rock record. Listen below, and see Patio live on December 13th at Le Poisson Rouge alongside Pile and Gabby’s World.

“Pop-adjacent” artist Blush FM’s newest EP Project A is a sparse, at times haunting affair, replete with moody, minimalistic synths and a powerful central vocal performance. It’s the type of release that exudes confidence, one that highlights Blush’s dramatic vox against quietly brooding synthetic swells; the most high-key element of the Project A’s five songs would be a tactile-but-understated 808 that propels the tracks forward, and the occasional hair-raising resonance-heavy synth, which lend additional drama and intrigue the project’s overall sound. Fans of artists like FKA Twigs and SHAED will feel right at home with this extended play; stream single "Move" below, and catch Blush FM at Mercury Lounge on December 5th.

New York indie rock duo Dog Petter bill their new video “Sucktitutde” as “what Lord of the Rings would look like if it cost $20 to make,” although one could argue it looks a bit like a poor man’s Skyrim. Soundtracked by noodling guitar lines and predominantly soft vocals, band members Emmitt and Brian embark on an epic voyage through Middle Earth (or the woods of New Jersey), leveling up their stats and befriending a God-like dog along the way. Humorous visuals aside, Dog Petter’s sound is somewhere between the muted repose of bands like Duster and The Antlers and the emotionally explosive elements of northeast emo outfits like Snowing, finding a happy medium between the quiet and cacophonous; watch the video below, and stream their most recent effort Asleep in the Heat here. —Connor Beckett McInerney