Hip-hop up and comer Caine Casket is happy to go against the grain of the genre’s current mood by delving into his Liberian ancestry and producing emotionally charged lyrics that go beyond the surface of parties and money and examine the state of race relations in America today. By allowing percussive rhythms, electric guitars, and ambient sounds to lead the way in many of the tracks from his latest record 9 Nights, Caine Casket truly brings out the spirit of his ancestry and raises the pulse of today’s hip-hop with something wholly new and refreshing. Caine Casket will be representing Garden State, New Jersey at his next show at Elsewhere in Brooklyn, NY. Check out his single “Domino” below. – Rene Cobar

Stello is bringing its unique brand of indie rock to Elsewhere on April 12, and the world suddenly seems like a better place to live in. Stello has been a staple of the NYC music scene for the last couple of years and their brand spanking new EP Triplet No. 3: Fountain is another grand display of sophisticated chord progressions, groovy basslines, and ascending tempos culminating in pleasant harmonies and cathartic finales. The new record showcases a costant evolution in the band’s sound that doesn’t betray their signature traits. Listen to “Sure Enough?” from the new EP below. – Rene Cobar, photo by  Nick Deveau

Night School just released their new music video and it’s not only a charming shoegazing dream, it’s a sweet homage to California landscape with a heavy hint of mystical witchiness. Love your shoes, Witch. Watch their music video with us, then come on out to The Chapel for their record release show. For those of your purities who can’t wait to get your hands on the record, order it here. – Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

You guys know the book Misery by Stephen King, right? The one where a novelist is captured by a crazed superfan and forced to write her a novel while chained up in Colorado? Well, New York multi-genre singer-songwriter Bobby Long clearly has a penchant for King’s work, with his newest music video “Nautical” a gallows humor interpretation of said story – except in this case, Long plays the lunatic, capturing and imprisoning his friend and producer Jack Dawson. While the video is an entire production unto itself, its bleakly hilarious visuals – where Long forces Dawson to play a concert to a sordid collection of mannequins and goats – repurpose the normally heartfelt lyricism of “Nautical” to comic effect; particularly, the tune’s chorus of “I’ll be alone with you” reads entirely differently in its new context. I won’t spoil its ending; watch the video below, and be sure to check out the rest of Long’s most recent studio effort, SULTANS, out now on Compass Records. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)

Garage rockers Sharkmuffin will release their latest EP “Gamma Gardening” on April 5th via Exploding In Sound Records. The five track’s depict an outlandish sci-fi rock opera centered around a character named Serpentina who is pursued by The Atomic Gardening Society. EP opener “Receptionist” sets the sonic tone for the entire record with its loose, live-in-the-studio vibe. Overall, the songs are built around an angular bass-lines, a loose, busy hi-hat, chunky guitar chords and Tarra Thiessen’s trademark caterwauling vocal style. “Designer Baby” drops down into a more sinister, echo-heavy tone breaking off into multiple tempos and b-movie-stylke outerspace effects. Current single “Serpentina” (streaming below) chugs along via Jordyn Blakely’s syncopated percussion, pitch-bended guitar strokes and Natalie Kirch’s rubbery bassline. “Too Many Knobs” is an over six minute raveup that sounds like Fun House-era Stooges. Final track “Fate” (their first single) brings things back to earth with a strolling, guitar-heavy love-tinged theme. The band will play their EP release show at Alphaville on 4/5 with Haybaby, CATTY and Gustaf. –Dave Cromwell

You heard it here first! The Deli is proud to premiere a new single on this foolish April 1st. Keith Sweaty took Step Children’s “The Ballad of Lea Meadows” and transformed it from post-punk dance rock with a Mountain Goats feel into an intergalactic trip. It feels like the track took a dip in the Stranger Things pond and we’re into the vibes. See what other shenanigans the Step Children guys are brewing and check them live at Hotel Utah with Credit Electric (really lovely Americana with electric infusions) and We Arsons (surrealist folk with a true 90’s appreciation) on the 6th of April. – Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

NYC’s Shanny is an artist in every sense of the word, and she is starting her year right with debut album Swirl Diet, a record that displays the very best elements of neo-soul, hip-hop. Wonderfully layered with funky basslines, jazzy chord progressions, soulful vocals, and conscious-driven lyrics, this solo effort sounds like a sign of great things to come. Shanny has been using multi-disciplinary arts (visual art, theatre, and music) to address today’s social issues and give a greater voice to movements of female empowerment. She is also a traveler, yoga instructor, event planner, and more but – as you will be able to tell from the track below – she is a musician above all else. – Rene Cobar

This artist submitted music for coverage here.

One of the positives to come from the split of beloved-indie rock band LVL Up in 2018 was the beginning of Dave Benton’s solo project Trace Mountains. While some elements of LVL Up could be found on Trace Mountains’ debut album A Partner to Lean On—lo-fi production, understated vocals, and a subtle taste for pop hooks—for the most part it ventured into new territory. Tender acoustic guitar, bedroom production, and light electronics made Trace Mountains a different but equally exciting project. The band’s newest single, “Where It Goes” opens with the same gentle charm of that debut but moves into a more heavily electronic territory only briefly explored on the album. With a minimal arrangement ruled by bass and an 808 drum beat, Benton sings of a childhood friend and the death of her father in a nostalgia-glazed whisper. It’s a soft but worthy addition to the Trace Mountain catalog that opens up the field for an even more eclectic sophomore album. – Cameron Carr

This month Barrio Manouche released their newest single, “El Joven” and the song is another fantastic hit. With "El Joven," Barrio Manouche does what they do best: invigorating Spanish gypsy jazz all with beautiful backing, from trumpets to the cajón, lots of sax, beautiful guitar work, and plenty of reason to get up and dance. Check out their video and go see them in San Francisco April 13th or 20th at Club Deluxe, and April 26th at The Chapel! – Lucille Faulkner

On April 5th, LOUIZA releases her sophomore album Swim at Night, recorded with producer James Riotto (The Mountain Goats, tUnE-yArDs, Ezra Furman) at Oakland’s Tiny Telephone. The Deli is pleased to premiere the sweet, folk-jazzy single “Roll Your Eyes.”

Swim at Night is a blend of folk, jazz, electropop and art rock. When asked about that last genre, LOUIZA’s Rebecca Mimiaga says the name allows for more experimentation. “When I think of rock, it’s so expansive…my music isn’t rock but it isn’t jazz either; it’s this total blend of all these things and I want to keep this project in the vain of ‘experimentation.’ [On this album] …everything is more experimental [than the last]–the harmonies, everything.”

On the creation of the album itself, Mimiaga says she wants to give credit where credit is absolutely due. “With this album I’d come in with the song and a sort of mood board for what I wanted the song to be like, and Jaime (Riotto), would help determine what kind of synth sound to create. We have a lot in common sonically and he really helped determine the soundscape on the album. As for the musicians, I rarely tell them what to play, I want them to bring their own musical interest and influence to the album.” Tracks are refreshingly varied, from folk poppy rock to fantastic, horn-infused hip-hop jazz. Swim at Night is an exciting journey we recommend taking. Give it a listen and go see LOUIZA at Rickshaw Stop on April 18th for the album release show. Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

The Jack Moves are at it again with a new single “Money Clouds” which once again puts their love for soul/rhythm and blues on full display. The group’s new LP Free Money brings into focus the journey of the duo who marries decades of music effortlessly and applies them to their contemporary sound. The Jack Moves offers the groovy basslines of the ‘70s, the urban feel of hip-hop’s ‘80s heyday, the R&B renaissance of the ‘90s and just the right amount of modern indie rock. The New Jersey natives are bringing their smooth style to The Knitting Factory on April 4, and you will not want to miss it. – Rene Cobar

Australia-by-way-of-Brooklyn artist Gabbi Coenen (known professionally as RVBY MY DEAR) lays down a not-so-quiet storm of her new single, “Draw.” The product of stress-induced sleep paralysis, “Draw” finds its strength in Coenen’s economy of movement: her confidence, as a songwriter and vocalist, resonates during the track’s introductory sequence, where Coenen’s stillness and cold crooning weaves daftly between minimalist keys and reverb-heavy claps. This isn’t to say the entirety of Coenen’s performance is based around minimalism. Rather, the careful slow build of tension over the tune’s three and a half minutes has a tendency to wash over the listener in waves of increasing intensity – similar to how water mists, then finally drenches Coenen in its music video. This drama inherent to RVBY MY DEAR’s performance is engaging, never overwhelming, and overall a deeply satisfying experience. Catch the premiere of her new video below. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt), Photo by Ebru Yildiz