THE DELI

Listening to New Topographics, the latest full length by Brooklyn drummer and composer Matt Evans, is oddly reminiscent of the experience of watching an ASMR YouTube video; it’s various percussive textures and cool synths are tactile and tingle-inducing, yet the timbre rarely rises above that of a whisper. This muted quality is what makes Evans’ most recent effort the alluring record that it is, a space wherein the artist deftly navigates quietude drum-first, ever heightening the energy through polyrhythmic breaks and employing electronic instrumentals in a manner that compliment, yet never overshadow his rhythm-forward approach. Standout tracks “Spinning Blossoms” and “Jaich Maa” well demonstrate this interweaving of elements, evocative of the ambient artists like Hiroshi Yoshimura yet decidedly more movement-oriented — even on Topographics tamer tracks, Evans’ intrepid percussion enables a forward momentum that keeps things consistently interesting. Give it a listen below, and catch Matt Evans (along with other Whatever’s Clever artists) on Twitch this Friday, May 1st for the label’s May Day Extravaganza. —Connor Beckett McInerney

Slowcore outfit Joyer’s new split EP finds the North Jersey duo leaning further into their unhurried, speaker-crunching sound, providing two tracks replete with innovative lyricism and roughly-hewn guitars. Recording alongside North Carolina’s Aunt Ant (formerly of NYC) and Toronto’s Poor You, their tracks “Juniper” and “In Time” are trudging, at times uneasy drone rock— band members Nick and Shane’s unison sing-speak provides hazy non sequiturs (“I hear the mosquitos when they bite down,” “I’m a ghost-running backlight) alongside stuttering chord progressions and trudging rhythmic breaks. The end result is an engaging mix of slacker rock wordplay and discordant instrumentation, both boisterous in its separate parts yet quiet in execution, and a sound that will resonate with fans of Red House Painters and LVL UP. Give it a listen below. —Connor Beckett McInerney

 Brooklyn multi-instrumentalist anjali.rose hones in on the unnerving quietude of life under quarantine in new single “Reach For It,” featuring Noah Drielblatt, a atmospheric offering that melds swirling synths with guitar-driven songwriting. Methodical acoustic arpeggios, underscored by murky electronic instrumentation, provide background for Rose and Drielblatt’s hushed vox — a centering performance amid a sea of disorienting (and at times disconcerting) ambient accents. In this way, Rose conveys a quiet in the eye of the storm, an indoors meditation while the outside world is marked by muted chaos and the occasional ambulance siren (which joins the sonic tapestry towards the song’s conclusion); in many ways, “Reach For It” mirrors our own individual efforts to maintain some degree of composure throughout the strange times we’re living. Give it a listen below, and check out the rest of the tracks on the Quarantena Contigo mixtape, which features a slew of international artists and highlights the Musicians’ Emergency Relief Fund, who are providing micro-grants to working musicians seeking relief throughout COVID-19.

Much like its lunar namesake, “The Moon Is Full” waxes gradually from the quiet piano and somber vocal performance of singer-songwriter Mare Berger to full chamber-pop instrumentation, becoming luminescent while maintaining a central, melancholy energy. The track, centered around Berger’s vox and lyricism, details the “sudden loss of a loved one and the pain and healing that comes after,” its impassioned theme amplified by the track’s increasingly expansive instrumentation — “I pray that the seed will grow,” Berger sings, their voice becoming more confident, transitioning from raw pain to acceptance as cinematic background strings expand in a flush of raw emotion. Dramatically-rendered yet wholly human, it’s an arresting effort, one that promises more raw, orchestral offerings on Berger’s forthcoming LP The Moon is Always Full, out June 5th — until then, stream the single below. Photo by Ilusha Tsinazde