THE DELI

Here’s our usual, blurb-less recap of new music by not so emerging NYC artists from the last few weeks, enjoy! Pictured, Holly Miranda, who graced the cover of The Deli back in 2006 with her band The Jealous Girlfriends (7th issue of The Deli NYC) – she just landed a residency at Bushwick speak easy Hell Phone.

Anyone living in New York City can attest to the fact that it’s a bit of a mess, wonderful and cacophonous but also slightly terrifying and frustrating. Brooklyn based post punk quartet Journalism manages to encapsulate the nervous energy of trying to make it in this city with their new album ‘Faces.’ Bouts of energetic anxiousness permeate the songs, exacerbated by feverous guitar riffs and accentuated by the mild tension in frontman Zema’s vocals. The reverb drenched guitars pluck away tenderly in songs like “Watching and Waiting” and “Everywhere I Look” before erupting into a string of mesmerizingly fast paced chords, climaxing with “Naked.” Journalism questions if what we’re doing in the end amounts to anything, but the inherent uncertainty of it is what makes it thrilling in the first place. Catch Journalism live at Trans-Pecos in Queen on May 21 and give their album a listen.

At first you think that this band sounds like most indie rock bands: melodious guitar riffs, a fat bass chord, steady drums, and a captivating voice. But Julius Earthling quickly dispel this notion with their EP NFL Bliss, which erupts into a raucous rhythm that starts heading one way before completely changing up the tempo and heading down another path, then switching up again. It’s quirky, spastic, catchy and unpredictable which makes for one heck of a fun album. They play tonight at O’Brien’s pub so head on down for a night of great music. If you miss them make sure to keep tabs on their Facebook page for upcoming concerts.  

We’ve been big fans of Brooklyn based Norvwegian songwriter Okay Kaya since we saw her first video for single ‘Damn Gravity,’ released in the spring of 2015. We’ve been missing her live a couple of times (she cancelled a CMJ show on us in 2015, and we didn’t cath her at SXSW in 2016, so we won’t miss the oportunity to see her at The Deli’s sponsored appointment with The Hum, this Sunday April 24th at Greeinpoint’s Manhattan Inn, when she will be playing a semi-improvisational set with Aerial East and Kelsey Lu. We are also happy to report that she has released some new material earlier this year, which showcases a welcome orchestral development of her uber-sparse style – check out single Keep On Pushin’, streaming below.

Kelsey Lu (pictured) is a NYC based artist we’ve never covered before that is also worthy of attention. Born in Charlotte, NC, this classically trained cellist plays with Solange among others, although her own music flirts with ambient and experimental tendencies.

At The Hum this Sunday you’ll also be able to see  Joan Wasser of Joan As Police Woman (who needs no presentation) in a set with drummer Jordyn Blakely (of Stove) and Noga Shefi of Zula, who will also share the stage with Taiwanese vibraphonist Yuhan Su in a separate set. 

This is the last appointment with The Hum, a series The Deli has been sponsoring for the second year in a row – you can read about past showcase previews here.