NYC’s Wild Yawp has been actively performing since last June and released their first single “Femme Girl” (streaming) this year. The pop-punk trio is now preparing for a record release show at Trans-Pecos on May 9th, culminating months of promotion. Characterized by explosive drum beats, whirling, entrancing basslines, and vocals that cruise and crash at will, the single showcases a fierceness reminiscent of the Riot Grrrl movement of the early ‘90s. The music of the band is already making appearances on movies and television shows, showing the group has been brewing well for some time now. The show at Trans-Pecos will be a celebration of their hard work, and the preview is here for you below. – Rene Cobar

Fans of Emanuel and the Fear will want to pay attention to frontman Emanuel Avyas’s new project Pale Ramon, which Avyas has started with former Monuments and Oceanographer member Kevin Plessner. Their self-titled debut album will drop on May 24th; its latest single, "The Best Has Yet To Come," which we’re premiering today, was inspired by a documentary of a Trump rally in Vegas, and told from the perspective of the young filmmaker trying to make sense of the seemingly decisive and hateful rhetoric being thrown around him. Pale Ramon will celebrate the album release on May 29th at Union Pool. – Will Sisskind

Nothing like a gentleman in a fine silky dress and a fencing mask jamming some psychedelic beats inside what looks like a computer but also a terrifying highway ride. It’s quite a pleasant experience, really. That’s Bill Baird’s "Facial Disc." The rest of Baird’s new LP, Owl (which just came out on Dangerbird Records) is a similarly synthed-psyched collection of pleasing weirdness and videos that link together to create a longer piece. To learn more, please see the man’s appropriately named website, www.billbillbillbillbill.com/ and go see him at the tail end of his tour! May 11th at Pro Arts. Special shout out to Oakland’s awesome Vintage Synth Museum for providing the synths that created this album. – Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

The vision of singer/songwriter Johanne Swanson (who performs as Yohuna) takes the introspection often found in personal songs and reflects it on both elements of nature and the personal relationships inspiring it. Her latest album “Mirroring” is set for release on June 7, with two songs now available for preview. Moving away from a previous reliance on synthesizers, Yohuna relies here more on guitars as the predominant instrumental force. The title track floats along pitch-bended chords rivaling the best of any dreamgaze practitioner. Ethereal, almost aloof vocals deliver poetic three word lines on the verses before a call and response chorus reveals the song’s cascading vocals hook. Easy laid back drumming gives way to a 16th-note high-hat pattern, adding rhythmic motion at points within the overall dreamy feel. “Rain & Prairie Snow” opts for a cleaner guitar sound while adding simple, reverant keyboards allowing for more emphasis on a choral vocal sound (enhanced by long-time collaborator Emily Yacina). Yohuna’s May tour arrives at Elsewhere in Brooklyn on 5/23. – Dave Cromwell

You may know Mike Caridi from his previous band LVL UP. If you enjoyed the indie rock group (which dissolved last September), you might want to look into his solo project The Glow. In between LVL UP albums, Caridi was writing songs that drew life from the same lo-fi vein that was supplying his former group. Now his songs are finally seeing the light of day: the first two singles are out now and they shine brightly on their own. “Weight of Sun” has a snappy rhythm and bright acoustic guitars that give it an upbeat nature. “I Am Not Warm” is driven by Caridi’s deeply-layered vocals, a distorted lead guitar, and dense drums. The hazy feel of the tracks, along with their grungy edge make Caridi New York’s answer to L.A.’s rising lo-fi star Justus Proffit. Check out “I Am Not Warm” below. – Rene Cobar 

A laid-back afternoon in the ‘burbs with your buddy is something many New Yorkers rarely experience, if ever. So it’s somewhat refreshing to stumble upon a video by a NYC band that’s just about that: walking in the middle of the streets, dancing on rooftops and in empty parking lots, and picking up Wendy’s are only some of the "adventures" duo Fly By Midnight indulges in to the sound of their own feel-good retro pop. With its addictive, soulful melodies and gentle uptempo rhythms, this single is so uplifting  that it can make even a regular day in the ‘burbs feel special. The track and its accompanying video are a preview of the bands’ LP, scheduled for later this year. – Rene Cobar

Pen Palindrome sets the stage for catharsis with a series of soothing, subtly sad loops on Live @ Third Rail’s opening track, “Pavement". Taking her time, Palindrome’s airy vocals creep in with the words, “I can feel you. In my childhood home I still feel you.” After some skillful wandering, Palindrome dives deeper into her sound on the quintessentially indie track “Anna I’m Sorry”. Painting simple strokes on the bittersweet canvas that she has created, Palindrome sings “Anna I’m sorry, we couldn’t work it out,” and the result is convincing. The rest of the release is a series of similar, successful tracks, closed out by a nice III chord feature on “Song for Mozart”.

The word indie has changed quite a bit over the years, but applying the description to this release seems appropriate. There is real music being made here, a great achievement.

Standout tracks: Anna I’m Sorry, Song for Mozart

-Mike Dranove

Before Midtown Social’s forthcoming Fantastic Colors album drops they’re touring all over California and beyond this summer with their fun and funky beats. On May 12th they’re busting out an 80’s themed dance party at one of our most beloved SF spots for queer culture and entertainment, The Stud. Whether you’re black, white, straight, queer, single or taken, come one come all, sport some sassy 80’s inspired attire and shake what you got. Midtown Social is known for bringing the house down with their California soul and room-encompassing beats. Can’t make it out on the 12th? Catch them at a number of different venues all over California and beyond. – Lucille Faulkner

After 2016’s Grammy-nominated, Billboard-topping album Epoch, we’ve been waiting to see what Tycho would come out with next. In April they released their latest single “Easy” and it’s a fascinating, moving piece with quiet aqueous vibes combined with whispering vocals and synthy pops of sound. Scott Hansen (Tycho’s primary composer) says he wanted to “…focus inward to reveal a human side to the music.” Give it a listen here and drift away. – Lucille Faulkner

Sometimes you walk into an open mic or a small music venue in New York and hear something that makes you go, "Well, I’ve never heard that sound before." Gawain and the Green Knight fit that bill. Named after a late 14th-century chivalric romance story, the duo of Alexia Antoniou and Mike O’Malley craft literary folk songs which blend history, literature, and other intellectual pursuits with the usual songwriting themes of anxiety, self-doubt, and desire. Take the band’s song "King Louis", a track about fearing what your crush might say behind your back. However — as Antoniou shows in the just-released music video — the song is also about the titular infamous French ruler, who feared court gossip so much that he kept all of his nobles under his eye. Watch the music video for "King Louis" and see Antoniou decked out in full Louis XIV costume, tearing her wig off as the fear becomes too much to bear. – Will Sisskind

“Thin Wire” (streaming) is the uber-charged debut single of Brooklyn punk rockers Trash TV. A sonic surge of distorted guitars and eruptive drums, this is the kind of tune that jolts you to the front of the crowd. Since late last year, this quartet has been fermenting music they call “scuzzy punk,” distinguished by upbeat tempo, fuzzy guitar licks and the graphic verses of lead singer Habiba Warren, who at one point mentions grease, numb hands, and bleeding eyes—get the picture? The band is revving up for a rooftop party show at Our Wicked Lady on May 22nd. The song serves as a sizzling preview of things to come from the Brooklyn natives, check it out below. – Rene Cobar  

Sporting the “melodic punk rock” tag on Bandcamp, six year old American Television provides a satisfying mix of punk and sentimentality on their latest release, Death Defier. A mere two tracks, the release’s size reflects the character of the band’s songs, simple, to the point, and effective. There is emotion in the music, something that is always welcome as many amateur groups are only willing to grapple with emotions superficially. The hooks are nice, the lyrics are relatable, and the chord changes are twinged with a hint of emotion. In short, there is honesty and a decent amount of work put into the music, can’t ask for much more.

-Mike Dranove