Math rock duo Gorgeous lay down a tremendous groove on new single “Shed Boys,” one that grungily stumbles forwards while never getting lost in the reeds of shifting time signatures. Propelled by an ear-worm melodic bassline (one that embeds the entire track with a sense of aggressive-yet-triumphant forward momentum), guitarist and singer Dana Lipperman bright vocals provide a cheery high end to Gorgeous’s predominantly dark guitar lines; this interplay makes the band’s ultimate output a fun, thrash-friendly mix of experimental rock and noise pop. Listen below, and catch Gorgeous at Threes Brewing on October 15th, as well as their Alphaville record release show on November 13th. -Connor Beckett McInerney, Photo by Michelle LoBianco

Bore from a hodgepodge of influences—most notably ’60s psychedelia, new wave, and vintage pop—New York’s Lake Ruth lay down a timeless bop on new single “Extended Leave.” The core backbone of the track, its analog, resonant saw lead, creates an industrial sound, one that runs counter to vocalist Allison Brice’s (The Eighteenth Day of May, The Silver Abduction) esoteric, tripped-happy lyricism. The cognitive dissonance of these two moving parts contributes to what makes “Extended Leave” such an engrossing listen, something akin to reading the work of Ram Dass in an abandoned East German factory, made all the better by the instrumental contributions of Hewson Chen (The New Lines) and percussionist Matt Schultz (Holy Fuck, Enon, SAVAK). Stream it below, and catch Lake Ruth at Elsewhere on October 18th, supporting Luna. –Connor Beckett McInerney, Photo by Sasha Maese

Brooklyn dreampop band 4Vesta recently released their digital EP “Light & Chemicals,” underscoring the timeless appeal and continuing influence of a style created in the early 1990s on emerging musicians nearly 30 years later. Featured opening track “Evening Star” (streaming below) serves as an homage to the pitch-bended, layered guitars and submerged vocals on Kevin Shields’ MBV masterpiece “Loveless.” In fact, the songs title hearkens back to the guitar-looped ambience of Fripp & Eno’s 1975 album of the same name. The NYC band’s new single moves at a deliberately melancholic pace before exploding into forceful walls of guitars and voices. More discernable male vocals appear on “Full Spectrum” approximating Neil Halstead’s low-key approach with Slowdive. “Autophase” doubles-down on the warped and warbly atmosphere, striking a middle ground between Colm O’Ciosig’s Loveless contribution “Touched” and some of Ringo Deathstarr’s recent output. Final track “Sea Plastic” serves up a five minute meditation on churning guitar textures, ethereal vocals and distant percussion. The EP is available for streaming on Spotify. – Dave Cromwell

Often times, a song will take a turn that evokes memories of another band’s music. In Sepoy‘s "Holy War" alone, they call forth the spirits of U2, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and LCD Soundsystem, among bits and pieces of others. And yet, Sepoy manages to take these alt-rock, psych rock, and power pop influences and spin them into their own sound, creating music that is full of energy and emotion and fit for a live stage. The band will take that stage on October 11th at Mercury Lounge; if you love Sepoy’s mix of sounds, you’ll want to attend this show to hear their new single "Motor Vehicle". Take a listen to their previous single "Till The End Of Time" below. – Will Sisskind

Country-twinged rock group Oakland’s Half Stack just released their latest EP, Aw Hell. The collection features four tunes that showcase the group’s lovely picking, twangy guitars and lyrics that are at times sad, at times funny. Self-described “choogle” and psychedelic rock, Half Stack is worth a good listen. –Lucille Faulkner

“It’s your birthday in heaven,” Brooklyn-based alternative pop artist Liam Benzvi croons over tactile synth arpeggios and ambient waves on forthcoming extended play Amnesia, USA. It’s a nice encapsulation of what makes Benzvi’s artistry an engrossing listen; there’s a penchant for high melodramatic songwriting that wouldn’t be out of place on the Billboard 100 with an instrumental backbone that’s somewhere between 80s synth-pop and 2010s chillwave. In the same vein, track “The Morning” maintains a Gen-X slow jam quality (and would be the perfect soundtrack for a reboot of any John Hughes film). Listen to them both below, and catch Benzvi’s EP release show on October 24th, supporting Aerial East.

NYC alternative group Wilder Maker occupy the liminal space between singer-songwriter and experimental pop, with new EP Infinite Shift / Black Wood Shrine a nice, bow-ribboned encapsulation of their penchant for ear worm songwriting and eclectic experimentation. A-side “Infinite Shift” was built around a “teenage sense of yearning,” its source material surrounding the experience of being drunk in New York City; as such, its upbeat melodic guitar arpeggios and understated percussive backbone give the track a sense of youthful forward movement, offset by the rambling, sometimes gritty vox of singer Gabriel Birnbaum. Likewise, b-side “Black Wood Shrine” lets Birnbaum’s songwriting play centerstage, his vocals modulated by guitar pedals and effects alongside a solitary electric guitar in a contemporary spin on the solo songwriter coffeehouse performance. Both tracks demonstrate Wilder Maker’s understanding of the tropes and expectations of indie pop music, while showing their desire to flout tradition and carve out a space for themselves—making them recommended listening for fans of sounds both old and new. Stream them below. -Connor Beckett McInerney

Few continue to “walk the walk” of the folk musician’s talk quite like Brooklyn transplant Fletcher C Johnson, and his latest single “Portland” makes this fact abundantly known. A nasal diatribe of crashing on couches (and stints on the street) comprise Johnson’s narrative of the years he lived in track’s titular city, interwoven amongst lazy, nostalgia-inducing slide guitar. The lyrics earnest and occasionally self-critical nature, paired with Johnson’s unique timber and penchant for bluegrass soundscapes evoke the proto-alternative country sounds of Jerry Garcia; it’s fitting given Johnson has certainly been on a Long Strange Trip before coming home to roost in Brooklyn, New York. Give it a listen below, and keep an eye out for his forthcoming LP Are You Feelin’ It, dropping October 14th. -Connor Beckett McInerney

You know someone’s album will be good when you hear their demos and think, oh well now that’s sounding pretty solid. That said, Affectionately just released a wee little collection of demos–some of which you may have heard on other albums before–and it’s a true delight of a listen. “Bedroom Waltz” is a personal favorite, but they’re all impressive with fun with disorienting distortions and pure, pleasing vocals. It’s always fun to hear a little gentler behind-the-scenes of one of the Bay Area’s finer secrets. Check ‘em out and don’t wreck ‘em out. Stay tuned for the full album out, comin’ in soon. –Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

Bear Call’s latest single, “Harsh” was just released as an end of summer jam and the title is oh-so deceiving. The smooth chill of “Harsh” is a jazzy mellow jam with warm strums and some nice key action with lyrics that are secretly funny. Oh la la, take a dive. Bear Call will be back playing in San Francisco in December playing with Goon at The Knockout. ’Til then, jam on. –Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

STRANGEPRIDE’s debut album, We’ll Take It From Here, reveals a talented indie band whose sound harkens back to the elegant electric indie pop-rock of late ’80s/early ’90s acts like Lloyd Cole and the Commotion and The Psychedelic Furs. Here, those influences are occasionally filtered through the gentle dream-pop atmospheres of contemporary acts like Real Estate through a guitar work that is at times textured and at times driven. The opening track “Kids” reminisces over life as kids, leaving the reader with a sense of nostalgia and yearning for what are – in most cases – the best days of our lives. Single Tumbledown, a distorted guitar-heavy track, highlights the kind of catchy and evocative tunes this band can produce, featuring a vocal performance R.E.M. would be proud of. Check out also Daisies and Blue, one of our favorite songs from the record, streaming below. The band played Rough Trade last night, check out their Facebook page for upcoming shows. – Karigan Wright

Ahead of their forthcoming release Shiny New Model, New York garage heroes BODEGA headlined Brooklyn’s Market Hotel September 28th. The EP’s title track is a sunny and energetic romp, characterized by an uneasy sense of self—lead singer Bodega Ben riffs on the built-in obsolesce of technology (and people) while dropping metaphysical bombs, like “every woman and man is a microcosm of lust.” Watch the video below, and catch BODEGA’s wild, philosophical ride this Saturday alongside Native Sun, and Kahiem Rivera.