Brooklyn based band Panther Hollow describes their sound as “the musical equivalent of playing a video game where instead of following the story you spend hours looking for Easter eggs.” Interpret that however you may wish, what we can tell you is that their music is worth listening to… The indie-pop quintet released their latest single “Letter” in August, and the sparsely arranged track stands out for its gentle, imaginative melody and lyrics focusing on the complications of life and the personal changes that end up affecting a relationship. Panther Hollow’s most popular song on Spotify is by far “Jamie,” from the band’s 2017 debut EP; it’s a charming acoustic ballad that touches once again, but in a more bitter way, on a conflictual romantic relationship, in the form of a series of stream-of-consciousness questions and accusations. – Karigan Wright

Photo credit Andrew Paynter

Berkeley-based Sis is playing Amnesia tonight to celebrate the release of their sophomore album, Gas Station Roses (Native Cat Recordings). The band, led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Jenny Gillespie Mason, has a soulful psych rock feel with Peter Gabriel and Talking Heads influences alongside Afropop and Japanese pop. Sis is composed of Mason and two members from the band Meerna, Carly Bond (electric guitar, flutes, vocals) and Rob Shelton (synths, programming) who help bring this album into the new dimensions. Come check them out tonight with Lalin St. Juste and Sitka Sun.  – Lucille Faulkner

Avante-garde electronic trio Kill Alters will take up residency at Market Hotel for the duration of October, lending their disconcerting, experimental sound to the Brooklyn venue every Thursday throughout the year’s spookiest month. Building on the momentum of their three archival releases earlier this year (Kill Alters Archives Vol. 3, Bonnie Baxter Cobweb Sensations, and Kill Alters Vol. 4), the New York noise outfit will accompanied by a slew of supporting acts, some of which include Brian Chase (of the Yeah Yeahs), Ikue Mori, Hisham A, and more, all of which will culminate with a Halloween “Mutant Massacre” performance. Attendees will also have the opportunity to give donations to Al Otro Lado, a bi-national legal services nonprofit who provide advocacy representation to deportees and other individuals in need of immigration-related civil rights services. Catch a show, support a good cause, and stream Kill Alters Archive Vol. 4 below. -Connor Beckett McInerney 

Nickel and Dime Ops, Ziarra Washington, and Juwan Crawley make their Revolution debut on October 17, for Vol.43. This appointment with the monthly series marks a change of day and time, as the show is now held on a Thursday at 8 pm, with doors opening at 7:30 pm. What hasn’t changed is the variety of genres represented in this inclusive, curated appointment with emerging NYC artists. 

Nickel and Dime OPS is a jazz-infused hip hop project based in NYC. Lyricist Nickel Killsmics performs alongside female vocalist Victoria Cave, backed by a group of jazz musicians including a powerful horn section. They have released two albums over the past six years incorporating jazzy elements with modern rap, creating a truly unique and exciting listening experience. 

With an energetic stage presence and catchy lyrics, Ziarra knows how to entertain with her contagious personality, establishing a flashy and dramatic atmosphere inspired by pop icons like Cher, Prince, and Lady Gaga. Her EP “Heart” was released this year and includes five tracks that highlight her delicate yet firm voice and songwriting styles ranging from energetic pop to electronic soul-pop. 

Actor singer-songwriter Juwan Crawley is a refreshing and invigorating artist, with a voice positively meant for Broadway. Crawley released his first EP, “Becoming” in June of this year, each track giving the listener a brief look into his robust talent. 

You can purchase tickets for The Revolution Vol. 43 here. – Karigan Wright

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